That’s how former Senator Eddie Ilarde remembers Leila Benitez who succumbed at 89 to complications of coronavirus last Wednesday, April 8, in New York City where she had been living since the early ‘70s. Leila with Student Canteen co-hosts Eddie Ilarde (left) and Pepe Pimentel. (Input from Eddie Ilarde: Leila had two sons by Grau Roses and one by Merv Simpson. “His death left a big vacuum in my life,” admitted Leila in a 2017 STAR interview. In that 2017 STAR interview, Leila revealed that, at the peak of her career, she quit against her wishes.

Source: Philippine Star April 13, 2020 15:56 UTC