He was always there. And then he was not.

Adam West died of leukemia last Friday. Sad news. I have fond memories of TV’s first Batman with all its bright primary colors and sound effects written on balloons. But it would have been an easy write had I needed to. Just another celebrity obit.

Painter Mauro Malang Santos died last Saturday. Also sad losing a great artist. I have always wanted a Malang on my wall. But I will not think about that anymore as the prices of his paintings have soared to many times over what I can afford. Still easy obituary though.

 Then Eugene Villaluz also died last Saturday at the age of 70. And obits are suddenly not easy anymore. Eugene was so alive, so vital, singing, putting together shows, even teaching at Mint. He was in the center of so much activity. He was always there. And then he was not.

 That was the way Eugene lived life. If there was one thing he was probably not happy about, it was not being able to do all that he wanted. I know he is happy where he is now but I am sure he is thinking of all the stuff he was doing and had to leave behind unfinished.

It was this do-everything quality that characterized his life for years. That is why as a student at San Beda College, he graduated with two college degrees, Business and Philosophy and with honors at that. At the same time he was singing with the campus group named The New Minstrels and being captain ball of the school futbol team for six years under the formidable coach Juan Cutillas.

That was not all. It was also during this time that without any theater experience or professional singing gig to his credit that he went off and auditioned for the first local production of West Side Story. He aced the tryout and bagged the role of Riff.

Graduated and launched into the work force, he got into banking. But of course, being Eugene that was not all that he was doing. He was performing regularly with The New Minstrels, which by then included girl members and had become a top draw show band and recording artist with huge hits like Buhat and Balut.

Eugene soon left banking forever and embarked on a solo career. He aced it again with his now classic recording of Gulong Ng Palad. Given his clear, strong baritone, he also became a natural for singing competitions and bagged the Grand Prizes in Seoul for Nothing I Want More and Toronto with Ako, Ikaw, Tayo Magkakapatid, both times in tandem with co-Minstrel Louie Reyes.

He tried to make a life in the U.S. of A. but ended up the same way. He was teaching in the daytime and singing in the evenings. In between, he recorded, coached singers, auditioned for Broadway shows and scouted for talents to manage.

Back home, he found a new calling as music producer and executive first with Warner Music and then with Viva Records. He got to work with many big names like Sharon Cuneta, Lea Salonga, Donna Cruz, Side A, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Sarah Geronimo, Rachelle Ann Go and Jose Llana. At the same time he was producing and promoting shows and acting in musicals. He sang Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ for Repertory Philippines.

One of his famous projects was the reunion concert among members of the Circus Band and The New Minstrels for Viva that has these past years become almost a Valentine’s Day tradition for music loving Pinoys. It was difficult enough getting those rival groups to reunite on their own, let alone together but with Eugene at the helm, clashing egos, tired voices and aching knees were set aside to entertain audiences year after year. 

It helped that Eugene, despite a wicked, contagious sense of humor, was basically a good-natured, agreeable guy who could easily find solutions to problems and douse flaming tempers. He was just nice and fun to be around. He was probably already thinking of the reunion show 2018 when he got word that he had to go.

It was just a pain in the knee that he attributed to age and a family penchant for gout. But it wouldn’t go away until it became unbearable these past weeks. The pain is gone now. But what a loss that was for everybody who ever admired not just a wonderful singing voice but also a good person and extraordinary friend.