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MANILA - Activist-singer Susan Fernandez passed away Thursday afternoon after battling ovarian cancer for more than a year. She was 52.

Surrounded by her family and friends, Fernandez, who was known for her socially-oriented songs including “Babae Ka,” died at 1:50 p.m. at The Medical City in Pasig.

“Susan just passed away. It’s a sad day. We just lost an important institution in the cultural and mass movement,” Malu Maniquis, Fernandez’s friend, told ABS-CBN News.

The singer’s 46-year-old brother, Edgardo, said 15 people were with her during her last moments. She passed away while her guitarist-singer-friend, Lester Demetillo, was in the middle of playing her favorite song, “Both Sides Now,” Edgardo added.

“In the middle of the song, bumaba ang pulse rate niya hanggang mag-flat line,” he told abs-cbnNEWS.com in a phone interview.

According to her brother, Fernandez had been confined to the hospital since Saturday night. She was already comatose early Thursday.

He said her remains would be cremated. Her ashes will be at the Christ the King in Greenmeadows from Friday until Sunday noon. 

Fernandez was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in March 2008.

She was married to political analyst and Philippine Star columnist Alex Magno. They have two sons -  Inno and Kalayaan Magno.

Fernandez, known as “The Nightingale of Philippine Progressive Political Movement,” became famous when she recorded the Metro Pop award-winning song "Babae Ka," which is a tribute to women power and feminism.

She was an educator and performing artist who used her songs to raise public awareness on the plight of Filipino women as well as their vital role in the society.

She also hosted one of the longest running cultural shows on television, "Concert At The Park."

When she was diagnosed with cancer, her friends organized a series of fund-raising concerts to share their financial and moral support to the singer.

Despite her health condition, she was still busy teaching at the Ateneo de Manila University and with her nightly gigs.

• ABS-CBN News
• Pinoy Showbiz

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