Remembering ‘Manay’ Lolit: In her own words, with one last laugh

In a world of whispers and blind items, Lolit Solis always chose to speak loud and clear.

For decades, she was one of Philippine showbiz’s most colorful and controversial voices — a columnist, TV host, talent manager and unapologetically maldita chronicler of the stars.

But in her final days, the sharp tongue gave way to quiet truths, shared not in print or on primetime, but through deeply personal Instagram posts — poignant love letters to life, laced with humor, honesty and grace.

With over 152,000 followers, Manay Lolit’s Instagram became more than a social media page. It was a diary of a woman preparing to take her final bow, on her terms.

“Salve, everyday I wake up talagang parang miracle na sa akin (Salve, every day I wake up it really feels like a miracle to me),” she wrote to her longtime confidante Salve Asis, the current president of the Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors (SPEEd), as if in conversation over coffee, as they had done countless times.

“I am very thankful pero admitted ko na medyo pagod na ako (I feel tired)… Been there, done that, I feel complete and grateful to my GOD. So if I will leave now, no regrets. Life was good to me… Basta thank you to all, my apologies to some and if ever, just remember me with fondness. I love all of you.”

The Lolit Solis the public knew — feisty, fearless, at the center of every chika — was still present in those final reflections. But they revealed a woman who, underneath the showbiz bravado, was tender, tired and tremendously thankful.

She spoke candidly about illness, particularly her recurring hospitalizations and dialysis. She joked about her kidney infection, wondered if stem cell therapy was helping, and confessed in half jest, half surrender that maybe she had “seen it all” and “done it all.”

“Parang kung minsan gusto mo nang magpahinga… ano pa ba ang gusto mong gawin sa buhay? (It’s like sometimes you just want to rest... what else do you want to do in life?)”

But amidst the weariness, there was still fire.

“Confrontational ako, hindi ako pumapayag na magpalagpas ng isang bagay na hindi ko gusto… Akala ko isusumpa ako ng showbiz, pero sila pa nga ang nagbigay ng protection sa akin. Talagang doon ko nakita I was considered family (I’m confrontational, I don’t allow myself to miss out on something I don’t like... I thought showbiz would curse me, but they were the ones who gave me protection. That’s when I really saw that I was considered family).”

She spoke with honesty about her flaws, owning up to her mistakes but never backing down from battles she believed in.

“Kung nagkaroon man ako ng mistakes, I feel sorry doon sa talagang nagkamali ako. Pero doon sa talagang alam ko na sila ang mali — hanggang end, mag-away na lang kami (If I made any mistakes, I feel sorry for the ones I really made. But for the ones I really know are the ones who are wrong — until the end, we’ll just fight).”

That was Lolit. Always clear about where she stood. Never afraid to draw the line.

Even as her body weakened, her voice remained vibrant, her humor intact. In one of her final posts, she pleaded — half-playful, half-desperate — to be discharged:

“Salve, sana makauwi na ako… kahit love ko ang mga doctors at staff ng FEU Hospital, homesick na homesick na ako. Miss na miss ko na mga dogs ko, my old bed, the ‘gulo’ ng bahay (I wish I could go home… even though I love the doctors and staff of FEU Hospital, I am so homesick. I miss my dogs, my old bed, the ‘messy’ house).”

Because even for a woman who had sat with stars and sparked headlines, it was her bed, her dogs, her daily chaos that she missed

the most.

Lolit Solis was many things to many people — mentor, manager and media maven. She was both revered and reviled. But if there’s one thing no one could deny, it was that she lived life with no filter. And in her final posts, stripped of showbiz trappings, she showed the same unfiltered heart, a woman grateful for her journey, aware of her legacy and ready to rest.

“I just feel and pray that people will remember me fondly. Remember me with a smile.”

Yes, Manay. We will.

With a smile. With a laugh. And with deep gratitude for the bold, brilliant woman who gave us showbiz realness right until the very end.

Rest well, Lolit. The spotlight dims, but your story remains.