People die.That is a fact. In the time of COVID-19 where your loved one can fade away suddenly, morbid as it may sound, those who had love ones pass away before the enhanced community quarantine are the lucky ones.
April 10, 2020 is a day to remember for Jace Roque and his family. His uncle, seasoned stuntman and character actor Boy Roque, passes away due to heart failure on this date last year. The singer-actor refers to him as the relative who had the most impact on his showbiz career.
This was the reason behind the video tribute, 'In Memory of Boy Roque', he uploaded on his YouTube channel last September 2019. It initially had around 20,000 views but just last month, the views skyrocketed to 286,000.
The video mainly focused on the highlights of Rosauro Daniel "Boy" Roque's wake, wherein some familiar faces like Roi Vinzon, Rez Cortez, Joyce Vernal, etc. delivered eulogies for their deceased co-worker.
Viewers were quick to identify Boy as the mute in Valiente, as well as a frequent goon in several hit action movies of the 90s. They also identified him with several FPJ films particularly as the leader of the assassin military group 'Hindi Pa Tapos Ang Laban".
Jace says Boy was more than a godfather or an uncle to him. In fact, he describes Boy as a second father. Growing up, Jace would often turn to Boy for comfort or help whenever he had problems. In terms of showbiz, he was Jace’s number-one fan—and then some.
“He was my mentor. He served as my backer, booking agent and unofficial manager, among other things. By showing me the ropes, he basically made me the artist I am today. He taught me that in this industry, it’s important to work very hard. Although he was always supportive of me, he made it clear that I shouldn’t just rely on him or any of my relatives to pave the way for me.”
Boy did over 100 films before his passing, including Nadine Lustre’s Ulan. He also did plenty of TV work. He worked on ABS-CBN’s 'Ang Probinsyano' and 'The General’s Daughter' as a fight and stunt director, and appeared on camera for GMA-7’s 'My Love From the Star', 'That’s My
Amboy', and 'Victor Magtanggol'. Although Boy played kontrabida roles, Jace remembers him as a akind and loving man, contrary to his onscreen image.
Jace admits that his family is still coming to terms with his uncle’s passing.
“The past year still feels like a dream. None of us were prepared for it. It was really sudden. One day he was alive and kicking and the next day he was gone.”
Jace is an independent artist whose songs have earned 2 million total streams across all platforms. That number says a lot about his drive, as well as his talent (he arranges, produces, and writes his own material). He recently released a new single titled “Forever.” Jace says the thought that Boy is looking down on him gives him strength.
“I want to believe that he’s proud of what I have achieved. Before he passed away, we had so many plans. He was going to help me book roles in movies, TV shows, and even sign a record deal with a major label. All that disappeared when he passed. It felt like the end of my showbiz journey, but through his guidance and God’s grace, I was able to get back up and keep going. I’m thankful that even in death he still looks after me.”
“Forever” download and streaming links:
Apple Music/iTunes: https://smarturl.it/JRFOREVERiTunes
Spotify: https://smarturl.it/JRFOREVERSpotify
All stores: https://smarturl.it/JaceRoqueFOREVER
