Filipina actress and host Jaymee Joaquin has passed away after a long battle with breast cancer. She was 44 years old.
Colleague-turned-friend Corss Ebora-Valenton paid tribute to the former actress on 19 October.
"She was powerful not because she wasn't scared but because she went on so strongly despite the fear. You will be dearly missed, Jayms," Valenton wrote.
Valenton added that she was grateful for the opportunity to work and be reunited with Joaquin the previous year for Jaymee's passion project titled Beautiful Scars, which chronicles Filipina breast cancer "thrivers."
"Itutuloy at tatapusin namin ang proyekto natin. Your legacy lives on with the @beautifulscarsdocu," she added.
Meanwhile, Joaquin's cousin, Erika Geronimo, also shared the news of her death.
"It is with a heavy heart that our family announces the passing of my cousin, Jaymee Topacio aka Jaymee Wins or Jaymee Joaquin. She lived an extraordinary life filled with adventure, laughter, and love. She inspired and touched a lot of lives through her advocacy and talent. She will be greatly missed and will always be in our loving memory as a strong woman," Geronimo wrote.
"A life so beautifully lived deserves to be beautifully remembered," she concluded.
Joaquin's acting and hosting career in the Philippines blossomed when she was the game show jock for the late-night interactive show Games Uplate Live.
She also appeared in numerous television shows and movies, such as Super Inggo 2: Ang Bagong Bangis (2007), Shake, Rattle and Roll 9 (2007), My Big Love (2008) and Tanging Ina Niyong Lahat (2008).
In 2016, the former Star Magic actress was diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite her cancer recurring four times and forcing her to go through multiple surgeries, Joaquin maintained a healthy and positive mindset.
She ventured into blogging, podcasting and writing two books, titled That Sh*t Called Cancer and No-Hair Mama, Don't Care.