Award-winning actress Sue Prado: Too young to drop curtain

Unexpectedly, it’s an early dropping of one’s curtain on stage, television and movie actress Sue Prado when she suddenly kicked the bucket recently.

According to her family, Sue, Marissa Sue M. Prado in real life, died of cardiac arrest.

It was an untimely demise for Sue, sisters Guia Antonette and May Shereen said.

“Sue brought light in anyone’s path throughout her life. A life lived for others, for the craft she nourished and for those whom she loved most,” said May.

Prado was outstanding in new wave films like Chito S. Rono’s “Kantil,” Alvin Yapan’s “Oro,” Jun Robles Lan’s “Barber’s Tales” and “Your Mother’s Son,” Kip Oebanda’s “Balota,” among others.

She was also a wonder in TV shows such as GMA Network’s “Bolera,” “Prinsesa ng City Jail,” “Abot-Kamay na Pangarap” etc.

In theater, she was a sought-after thespian at UP and other guilds especially during her student days.

The Philippine entertainment industry is mourning her passing.

Was it only days after Sue expressed her concern over exploitation and blacklisting of talents in movie and TV prods and called on the leaders of the audio-video industry to subscribe and follow the Eddie Garcia Law which safeguards the welfare of its workers?

Fellow actor Madeleine Nicolas posted on her FB Prado’s grievance which encouraged the former to fight with her but pained her once she heard of her death.

According to Madeleine, Sue was laid to rest Sunday, April 26, 2026 beside his dad at the Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina City.

Actor Jak Roberto whom she starred in the teleserye “My Father’s Wife” was devastated when he learned about her sudden demise.

UP Theater Arts alumnus Benny Chan, Jr. recalled that award-winning cinematographer Neil Daza had confirmed that he and Sue were supposed to watch the gala premiere of Roovak Valle’s imported Filipino play from Down Under “The Moon and the Bakunawa,” written and directed by Fil-Aussie Benny Chan, Jr. at the Asian Institute of Maritime Studies (AIMS) auditorium.

Meanwhile, movie director Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil felt sad but proud not only of Sue but also the other two people dear to her heart who passed on.

Here’s Ellen’s tribute to Prado, musician Chino Bolipata and feminist Luz Lighthart: “Sue Prado…, a very good actress, and principled…She is a member of the Free the Artist Movement.

“She came to at least 3 screenings of ‘Lakambini Gregoria de Jesus,’ together with our DOP Neil Daza…I never had a chance to work with her and only thru ‘Lakambini’ have I met her, but enough to see how honest, unpretentious and grounded she can be.

“Then there’s Chino Bolipata, whom the great cellist Yo-yo Ma would refer to, as the One who came before him. I never met him but I feel I knew him because of Coke Bolipata. In our movie ‘Boses,’ he would look to his brother Chino, the recluse in the family…

“Finally, there’s Luz Lighthart, my neighbor, a true activist until the end. We have a landfill problem…but she took it upon herself to lead the group to be able to move forward…So happy that she got to join us here in the house when Coke Bolipata had his mini-concert here…”

Film director Raymond Red also paid tribute to Sue as one of his perennial artists when their film “Himpapawid (Manila Skies)” had a special screening at the Cinematheque Manila of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) in Intramuros.

Raymond and Sue were at the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival 2010 and at the Tokyo Int’l Film Festival 2009 for the same film.

She was 44. (Boy Villasanta)