MANILA, Philippines – Veteran actress Lilia Dizon, the mother of actors Christopher and Lara Melissa de Leon, died Monday morning, June 15. She was 92 years old.
The news was confirmed by Toni Abad, Lilia's daughter.
"The angels are rejoicing! Mom is now worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ not by faith, but by sight. She is now with our father God in heaven. No more pain, no more tears, no more suffering, She left us at exactly 8:20 this morning. I’m posting this with much sorrow because I will miss her. I love you Mom! Rest In Peace in the hands of our creator."
In an interview with ABS-CBN, Toni said that their mom will be cremated at the Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig.
On Instagram, actress and former beauty queen Mariel de Leon paid tribute to her grandmother.
"She lived such an exciting life. As a young girl, she experienced the effects of World War II in the Philippines. She would tell me so much stories about all the things she went through during that time. She then blossomed into a beautiful woman and into the glamorous screen goddess - Lilia Dizon. I am so proud to call her my Oma (grandmother in German)."⠀
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"I know that I got my love for anything elegant, glamorous, and beautiful from her. She would tell me about her life as an actress during her time. The hard work, the glamour, and everything in between (she even met Marlon Brando and Lucille Ball). I also remember when she used to live in our house, even when she was just staying home, she would always want to look and smell nice. But besides her beauty, her strength is what I admire the most about her. She didn’t let the hardships of life bring her down in anyway; Instead she would rise up and build an even more beautiful life for herself and her loved ones. She truly is the epitome of elegance, grace, and strength."
View this post on Instagram A post shared by (@mariadeleonofficial) on Jun 14, 2020 at 9:52pm PDT
Lilia, Claire Strauss in real life, started her career in showbiz after World War II. She first appeared in the movie Probinsiyana in 1946, starring Carmen Rosales and Jose Padilla Jr.
She also starred in a number of movies under LVN Pictures such as Bathaluman, Kandilerong Pilak, and the Moise Padilla Story.
Lilia was married to LVN director and actor Gil de Leon, with whom she 3 children – Pinky, Christopher, and Lara Melissa, who became actors. She later married Antonio Abad and had two kids – Toni and Corazon. – Rappler.com
