'The Most Selfless Woman I Know'—Pilita Corrales in the Eyes of Her Daughter, Jackie Lou Blanco

Mother and daughter: Pilita Corrales and Jackie Lou Blanco | Photo from @jackieloublanco

"Thank you for being here to honor my mom with your presence, with your wonderful stories, with who she was to you, and what you knew of her," Jackie Lou Blanco said during the wake of her mother, Pilita Corrales, who passed away on April 12, 2025 at the age of 85.

The wake was like a mini concert, a fitting tribute for "Asia's Queen of Songs." Martin Nievera sang "Wildflower." Leah Navarro, Mitch Valdez, and Celeste Legaspi performed "Minsan Ang Minahal Ay Ako" from Katy! The Musical, based on the life of the late "Queen of Filipino Jazz," Katy de la Cruz, who also worked with Pilita. Pilita's husband, Carlos López, also performed with a harmonica. 

Photo from @jackieloublanco

Through the years, the public witnessed the beautiful mother-daughter relationship of Pilita and Jackie Lou (Pilita's child with Gonzalo Blanco), who always expressed her love and admiration for her mother on social media. She would greet and dedicate messages for Pilita on her birthday (August 22), Mother's Day, and International Women's Day. 

Jackie Lou would always say, "Ang ganda talaga ng nanay ko!" or "My beautiful mother." Indeed, Pilita became iconic not only for her voice but also for her beauty—oh, that signature bouffant hairstyle. Beyond that, she was beautiful inside. 

"'Asia's Queen of Songs!' That's how the world sees her. But to me, she is all those, but so, so much more. The most selfless woman I know, who will do anything and everything for us," Jackie Lou wrote in an Instagram post in 2021 as a birthday tribute. 

She added that she thanks God every day for blessing her with a mom like Pilita. She shared a message for her mother, writing, "A million thank you's will never be enough. I love you so much, Mom! You are my angel on earth... I love you with all that I am."

As a Mother's Day tribute in 2016, Jackie Lou posted a photo of a young Pilita on social media. She captioned, "What a beautiful mother I have." 

"But more than her physical beauty is the most giving and unselfish heart she has. I am blessed and privileged to be her daughter," she continued. 

Beautiful and unselfish were often Jackie Lou's choices of words to encapsulate what her mother, known to many as "Mamita," means to her. 

In 2017, "An Evening With Pilita" concert was held, named after Pilita's iconic TV program in the late 1960s. Pilita's children, Jackie Lou and Ramon Christopher Gutierrez (Pilita's son with Eddie Gutierrez), joined her onstage to celebrate her life through music. Thrilled for the opportunity to perform with their mother, Jackie Lou wrote a message for Pilita on social media: "Mon and I are so blessed to have you as our Mom. Thank you for your unselfish love."

"Who inspired and shaped the woman you are today?" That is the question women are usually asked every International Women's Day. For Jackie Lou, it was absolutely her mom. To commemorate that global holiday in 2021, she turned to Instagram to once again honor the woman she looks up to the most. 

"Today and everyday, I celebrate all kinds of women. But most especially my mom @pilitacorrales who took all the hurdles in life and still came out of it not with a bitter heart but with the most selfless and unconditional love!"

The following year, Jackie Lou put a twist on her Women's Month tribute for her mom: a TikTok challenge (which shows the showbiz legend doing her iconic "liyad" or bending backwards pose while performing) with Jackie Lou's kids, Rikki Mae and Ara, and "the most beautiful woman" in their family, Pilita. She shared, "My Mom continues to inspire us all."

Truly, Pilita will continue to be a source of inspiration for her contributions to the entertainment industry. But aside from those, for her family and many others whose lives she touched, the memory of her "kindness and generosity" will live on in their hearts. 

Lead photos from @jackieloublanco (Jackie Lou's solo by @iamabi.ph)