Pinoy rock exponent Pepe Smith has passed away.
He was 71.
Smith, or Joseph William Feliciano Smith in real life, died in a hospital Monday morning as confirmed by his daughter Daisy Smith-Owen in a Facebook post.
“Thank you for everything papa bear ko. Thank you for being the best dad in the world. I know you’re in the best place now, no more pains papa.. I will see you in few days. I love you to the moon and back,” Smith-Owen said.
Her Facebook post was accompanied by a photo of her and her father in the tribute. The caption also said that Smith had trouble breathing before they rushed him to the hospital. She did not confirm the cause of his father’s death.
In 2017, Smith suffered his third stroke, which left the rock icon with a speech impediment. A year later, he underwent gallbladder surgery.
Smith was born in Angeles, Pampanga on Dec. 25, 1947 to American father Edgar William Smith, a US serviceman, and Filipino mother Conchita Feliciano.
At the age of 9, Smith learned to play the drums. He was 11 when he and his friends formed a rock band called The Blue Jazzers, which was eventually renamed The Villains and later as The Surfers.
It was in 1970 when Smith joined the rock group Juan Dela Cruz Band as a vocalist and drummer with guitarist and vocalist Wally Gonzales and bassist and vocalist Mike Hanopol. The members of the band became pioneering figures in original Filipino rock music.
The Juan Dela Cruz Band released 11 albums from 1971 to 2008. Among their iconic songs are “No Touch,” “Balong Malalim,” “Titser’s Enemi No. 1,” “Himig Natin” and “Beep Beep.”
As a solo artist, Smith released an album in 2005 and played one of the main characters in the 2014 movie “Above the Clouds” directed by Pepe Diokno. The movie also featured some of the songs he popularized.
