Who was Phillip Lazaro? Tributes pour in as Filipino comedian and director dies aged 51

The late Phillip Lazaro (Image via iamphilliplazaro/Instagram)

On Monday, July 11, Filipino comedian and director Phillip Lazaro passed away at the age of 51. The news of his demise was first reported by local publication GMA News Online, which confirmed the news of his death from Lazaro's nephew Chico Lazaro Alinell.

The nephew reportedly visited Lazaro's residence on the day before his death and found that the late-middle-aged comedian had difficulty breathing. It has also been reported that Lazaro had multiple organ failures, which caused his demise. However, the underlying cause of organ failure is not publicly known at the time.

GMA News Online also clarified that Lazaro's family is expected to release further details about his death and organize a wake in his memory soon.

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What was the late Phillip Lazaro known for?

Phillip Lazaro (born as Felicisimo Saavedra Lazaro) was renowned as a comedian turned director and actor in the Philippines. He is known for his association with projects like Bawal na game show and Prima Donnas. According to The Manila Times, the late 51-year-old performed as a stand-up comedian in a Manila-based comedy bar known as The Library Comedy Bar & Restaurant.

As per his IMDb profile, Lazaro forayed into acting in 1995 with a one-time brief role in a local TV series, Villa Quintana. Throughout the mid-1990s till 2000, the veteran comedian appeared in similar roles in Filipino TV shows. After a brief hiatus from acting for almost a decade, he returned to such roles in 2009.

In 2016, he appeared as PR in over 50 episodes of That's My Amboy. His last appearance was on 2021's Nagbabagang luha, in which he portrayed Phillip in five episodes. Throughout his career spanning over 25 years, Lazaro had appeared in around 30 projects.

Lazaro had also directed multiple projects in his lifetime. These include 63 episodes of TV5's Filipino contest show, Bawal na game show. He reportedly directed a few episodes of the show from 2020 to 2021. Furthermore, he had served as the director of Dear Uge for four episodes.

In 2019, Phillip Lazaro directed a TV movie titled 3/3. Meanwhile, Lazaro had been the second-unit director of projects like TV series like Nagbabagang luha and 2022's Widows' Web.

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Condolences rush in following Phillip Lazaro's demise

Following his death, numerous family members, friends, and other associates took to social media to pay their tributes. Meanwhile, Lazaro's nephew Chico Lazaro Alinell took to Facebook to talk about the late comedian and director.

A few tweets reminisced over Lazaro's association with stand-up comedy at The Library. A few others acknowledged his work as a director as well.