A love letter to my Nanay, Lolit Solis

On July 3, the world lost Lolit Solis — a sharp-tongued, fearless, legendary columnist and TV personality. To many, she was a firebrand of Philippine showbiz an industry voice who held power to account, never afraid of a scoop, a scandal, or a showdown. But to me, she was something far quieter, deeper, and more personal: She was my Nanay.

- NIGHT OWL ANNA MAE YU LAMENTILLO

Not a lot of people knew how close we really were. Ours was a quiet kind of love — one not played out on TV or in the papers, but through simple gestures that stitched themselves into my daily life. When I left for the UK to study, she messaged me every single day without fail. Each morning, I'd wake up to the same comforting words: “I love you.”

This wasn't the Lolit most people knew — the Lolit who broke showbiz stories with unflinching precision, or the fierce matriarch of “StarTalk” and “Scoop,” whose commentary could both enthrone and dethrone. That was her public persona. But behind that, she was also a woman who loved fiercely, who mothered those she took under her wing without ever asking for anything in return.