MANILA -- Susan Fuentes, whose string of hits in the '70s earned her the title "Queen of Visayan Songs," died on Saturday afternoon after a prolonged confinement due to a kidney ailment. She was 58.
The veteran singer passed away at 12:30 p.m. at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Quezon City, according to a report published Saturday on the entertainment news site Philippine Entertainment Portal.
Admittedly due to a "self-destructive" lifestyle when she rose to popularity in the '80s, Fuentes revealed in an interview last year that she had undergone kidney transplant in 2002.
She last performed on stage in 2010, before her worsening health condition prompted close monitoring and treatment.
Born Susan Toyogan in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, Fuentes was dubbed the "Queen of Visayan Songs" after scoring several hits including "Matud Nila," "Usahay," "Gimingaw Ako" and "Miss Kita Kung Christmas" across seven gold-status albums.
Fuentes is survived by her two children, aged 32 and 33, who, by the singer's admission, had been estranged from her for over a decade.