25/04/2025
Celia Diaz Laurel: "Surprise!
Let’s begin with this. As confirmed by Ms. Lotlot de Leon, this piece was painted by none other than Cocoy Laurel. Starting from Celia Diaz Laurel, making portraits or paintings has always been the family’s love language. Just imagine the effort poured into a painting like this—pure love and affection captured on canvas. And imagine receiving such a gift?
This is actually just one of two paintings Cocoy lovingly made for Guy.
“This one,” Cocoy said, “is dedicated to her National Artist award. The other is for her being the Superstar, MY Superstar.”
(Trust us when we say that the story behind the “Superstar” painting is just as powerful.)
When you speak to Cocoy, you hardly need to ask questions. Just a few prompts, and the stories flow freely from his heart.
“Were you able to show this to her personally?” we asked.
His shoulders dropped. “No,” he answered softly.
According to Ms. Miriam Castillo, one of our admins and Mrs. Laurel’s longtime executive assistant who has been accompanying Sir Cocoy to Nora Aunor’s wake, the painting had been sitting in Cocoy’s art studio for quite some time but she never had the chance to take a photo with it, not until last Monday, during Cocoy’s second visit.
Unlike the first painting, which Nora had the chance to see and hold for some time, this one—sadly—she never got to lay eyes on. :(
At least now, the painting is home—placed in the care of Lotlot and her siblings, whom Cocoy fondly said he had watched grow up through the years.
But you might be wondering: Where's the Superstar portrait then? It remained with Cocoy. Why? Well, that’s a story for another time.
At this point, we couldn’t help but recall the iconic Maria Leonora Theresa doll. If the Guy-Pip tandem had that as their symbolic “child,” then the Nora-Cocoy loveteam have these "babies" as their own version of it. That made you kilig, right?
Then, he recounted the moment he found out that Nora had been named a National Artist.
It wasn’t just joy, he explained. It was reverence, awe, and great pride, he added.
If you recall, Nora was conferred the prestigious award in 2022.
"She looks quite nahihirapan [huminga] when she delivered her thank you speech at one occasion, but when she said, ‘Kayo ang aking HIMALA’… I cried. I kept crying." Cocoy vividly remembered -- totally unapologetic for revealing this tender side of him.
He’s truly a softie -- a gentle soul.
And that’s when he knew, he said, that that was the perfect time for another portrait.
By the way, did you know that “Laurel” means honor? And while “Aunor" was just a screen name, its resonance is simply amazing. Stars aligning? Maybe.
“Were you able to talk to her when she received the award?”
“Yes. We were both crying on the phone,” he shared.
“She deserved that. She deserved that,” Cocoy emphasized, his voice filled with so much admiration and love. Then, suddenly, he fell silent and looked away -- a pause that almost moved us to tears.
Did it finally hit him that she’s gone?
To be continued…"
What a beautiful painting of the Superstar🫶🏻
