Sad news today (2nd May 2025) for the entertainment industry as it was announced that Ricky Davao has died aged just 63 following his battle with cancer. Viva Entertainment initially made the announcement, keeping things simple and respectful by stating: ‘Rest in Peace Sir Ricky.’ Arabella Davao followed up later on in a separate social media post with the following:
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved father, Ricky Davao. He passed away peacefully, surrounded by his children and loved ones, after bravely facing complications related to cancer.
With a staggering 40 years in the industry under his belt, some iconic roles and some truly moving performances, Ricky Davao will be sorely missed by all who idolised him, though his works and the legacy he left behind will live on forever.
Ricky Davao’s Legacy
The son of Charles Caballes Davao, or Charlie Davao, and Bing Davao’s younger brother, Ricky, came from a family of performers and artists. It was no wonder that he himself would show the talent to take on the industry, tackling dance first as his strongest passion as a member of the Vicor Crowd. That passion would shift with him over to his acting career, and Ricky ended up being well known for his particular brand of emotional expressionism whilst performing, and this would cement his place as one of the industry’s acting greats.
Adopting a plethora of roles, including Bongbong Marcos in the famous 1980s political drama, Bongbong at Kris, and across TV, film, and the theatre, Ricky Davao was a staple who ended up mentoring many in the business. He met Jackie Lou Blanco after she replaced Snooky Serna in the GMA Supershow, and they were married in 1989. They had three children before separating but were, through their mutual respect and maturity, able to portray a married couple in the drama anthology I Can See You: AlterNate in 2021.
The Many Faces of a Master
Ricky Davao was much more than an actor and a dancer, he was a director and a candidate for councilor running briefly for the position in Quezon City’s 4th District with the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) in 2010 though he ultimately had to pull out to avoid clashes with the release of his then newest film, Working Girls.
As for directing, Ricky spearheaded projects such as: Coffee Prince (2012), Legally Blind (2017), and A Daughter’s Love (2018) to name a few, always giving his all with due diligence and creating brilliant works that would go on to win him an absolutely monstrous list of awards.
A Real Loss
It’s real grief when a genuinely good person, someone who wanted to make a difference as much as they wanted to entertain, is taken before their time. Ricky Davao has had such a large impact on the lives of the people around him. A much beloved father, an icon, a truly talented actor, and a director, he will leave a huge hole behind him in the entertainment industry, though his works will live on in infamy.
