Danny Javier almost died in 2012 — and lived for 10 more years

Danny Javier said he almost died in 2012.

"I was diabetic, then one thing led to another. I had kidney failure, liver collapse, emphysema, congestive heart failure, and sepsis," the singer-songwriter and one-third of the Filipino pop trio Apo Hiking Society revealed in his speaking engagements about being saved by lifestyle change and an all-natural diet.

Javier lived for another 10 years.

On 31 October he finally gave up, at age 75, after enduring diabetes which, a close family friend told Daily Tribune in April, required Javier to undergo dialysis "every day for eight hours."

Added the family friend: "May nabili siyang machine that lets him do dialysis as he sleeps, but he's confined to his residence permanently."

As Apo's lead singer, Javier defined the group's sound — his baritone giving life to early hits such as "Love Is for Singing," "Mahirap Magmahal ng Syota ng Iba," and "Show Me A Smile," all of which were on the album 'Songwriter' (1976, Jem Records).

Two years later, the album 'Pagkatapos ng Palabas' (still on Jem) had Javier singing lead on "Pumapatak Ang Ulan," "Hanggang May Pag-ibig," "Lumang Tugtugin," "Bakit ang Babae sa Tagal ng Pagsasama Tila Mas Mahirap Mainitindihan," and "Kaibigan."

Javier and his Apo cohorts Jim Paredes and Boboy Garovillo would stay together — from the original 12 members of the Apolinario Mabini Hiking Society at Ateneo de Manila — and record 17 studio albums that comprise a major part of the canon of contemporary Filipino music.