Former Entertainment editor, TV host, and stage director Nestor U. Torre died on Tuesday morning due to COVID-19 and heart disease complications. He was 78.
The news about his demise was confirmed by his nephew Jan Alexander Torre in an interview with ABS-CBN.
According to the young Torre, his uncle expired at the Sta. Ana Hospital in Manila at 8:29 a.m. on Tuesday and his remains were brought to Arlington Memorial Chapels in Quezon City for cremation.
Torre, who used to write for Philippine Daily Inquirer until he suffered a stroke in 2018, was also behind the staging of numerous theater productions such as “Katy, The Musical,” “Magsimula Ka,” “Magnificat,” “Cory the Musical,” “Padre Pio,” “Pag-ibig sa Bayan,” “Nasaan si Hesus?,” “Mapaghimalang Birhen ng Caysasay,” “Close Encounters with the Third Sex,” a string of religious productions (“Be Not Afraid: Pope John Paul II,” “Bakhita, the Musical,” “Kordero ng Diyos”) and countless comedy-musical revues (“Manila Vanilla,” “Battle of the Sexes,” “Beauty and the Best” and “L.O.L.”).
His career in show business started in the 60s when he was invited by actor Pete Roa to direct the late-night talk show “Two for the Road.” They worked for another talk show entitled “Sanlinggo,” which aired on PTV 4.
As a journalist, Torre is best remembered for his widely read column “Viewfinder” that used to appear in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. He was also a former editor of numerous special sections of the paper including its entertainment section.