Philippine comedy king Dolphy dies

Dubai: Actor-comedian Dolphy died on Tuesday, his partner and actress Zsa Zsa Padilla told Philippine TV network ABS-CBN.

The actor's health has been deteriorating since June 9, when he was first admitted to hospital due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

He was due to celebrate his 84th birthday on July 25.

He is survived by Padilla and his 17 children.

On June 20, son Eric Quizon told reporters that Dolphy's kidney had stopped functioning properly, causing toxins to spread to parts of his body.

Dolphy, whose real name is Rodolfo Vera Quizon, had to undergo blood transfusion to normalise his haemoglobin level.

News of the entertainment icon’s condition had sparked an outpouring of support from fans in the Philippines, the UAE and around the world for weeks. The hashtag #PRAYFORDOLPHY has been trending on Twitter since Dolphy's hospital confinement. The hashtag was replaced by #RIPDolphy, which was trending on Tuesday.

Dolphy had 180 movies to his credit, making him an icon in the Philippine entertainment industry. His career as an entertainer spanned more than 60 years, and included radio, stage, television and film.