Manila: Philippine action star Rudy Fernandez died of cancer on Saturday. He was 56.

A wake is open to the public at the Heritage Park in Taguig City. A funeral will be held on Thursday.

Fernandez has been battling periampullary cancer for more than two years and was brought home from hospital on Monday after being confined there for a month.

Fernandez and his wife, actress Lorna Tolentino, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on Sunday.

Fernandez was born on March 3, 1952 in Manila. He starred in 65 films throughout his career and won three best actor awards.

Fernandez's friend, Ramon “Bong'' Revilla, told the Inquirer newspaper that the actor had suffered from internal bleeding for days and had difficulty recognising people.

Fernandez and his wife had spent most of the past few months travelling between the United States and the Philippines for treatment of Fernandez's cancer.

Periampullary cancer occurs when a tumour grows in the ampulla, a passage of bile duct in the intestines. This type of cancer is rare and only 100 out of every 100,000 people develop the illness.