In the April 2011 issue ofYES! magazine, AJ Perez was included on its list of "The Next Big Thing"— artists who the network executives think would be the nextbig stars.AJ was one of ABS-CBN's bets for stardom.
AJ was killed in a vehicular accident in Paniqui, Tarlac at 12:20 a.m. today, April 17. He was 18.
THE YES! ARTICLE. The following is the full write-up of YES! about AJ:
AJ Perez entered the scene quietly. A bit too quietly. If you ask Mr. M [Johnny Manahan]. His lines in his early movies (among them Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo and Sakal, Sakali, Saklolo) ended up on the cutting-room floor. The Star Magic chairman emeritus recalls watching those movies and thinking: "Two or three movies, wala siyang linya. Wala siyang linya! I'm waiting for one line. 'Please, Lord, give him one line. Wala."
And yet, there it is, inscribed in a phrase above AJ's full-page photograph in the 2010 Star Magic catalogue: "The One Who Is Next In Line."
Launched as part of the Star Magic Batch 13 in 2006, AJ has bided his time, doing guest stints in weekly drama shows like Star Magic Presents Abt Ur Luv and Your Song Presents Underage, or showcasing his dance moves as part of the Gigger Boys in the Sunday variety show ASAP. Until last year, he had yet to commit to any major teleserye. A senior high-school student at De La Salle Greenhills, AJ continues to give priority to his studies—and any work taking him out of school premises three days a week just has to wait.
This is the major reason, theorizes business unit head Deo Endrinal, why the boy has yet to make a dent in the consciousness of the public. Still, anyone who saw AJ's aggressive turn as a brash neophyte who has to spend a night in the morgue as part of a hazing ritual, in one episode of the horror anthology movie Cinco, would be hard-pressed to deny that AJ's magnetism almost overwhelmed his hapless co-actors.
Deo sees that promising performance as an indication of AJ's dedication to his craft of acting. "He wants to be a good actor! He constantly checks on you whenever you bump into him. 'How's my performance? Were you able to monitor? How's my performance so far?'"
That dedication is even manifest in his exercise regimen, as AJ has put in gym time to turn his once-lanky frame into a manlier body. Slowly, the boy-next-door features are metamorphosing into chiseled, matinee-idol looks. The reason behind all this work on his physique? AJ took the big step of signing on to the nightly soap Sabelas one of the male leads.
Deo says he persuaded the budding heartthrob to sign on by admonishing him that he cannot keep letting opportunitues pass him by. "I told him, 'If you miss out on Sabel, I'm not sure if the next big opportunity will come your way!' He will have to juggle senior high school with Sabel—and that's hard."
But Mr. M is confident that AJ will handle the pressure just fine. "If he gets the right breaks, he'd be like a Rico Yan." We'll stand in line for that.
AJ'S WAKE. According to AJ's dad, the young actor's wake will be held at La Salle Greenhills Chapel starting today, April 17, until Tuesday, April 19.
It was also in La Salle Greenhills where the wake of the the late Rico Yan was held in April 2002.
Just like Rico, AJ was a Star Magic talent and a La Sallista.
AJ Perez, or Antonello Joseph Sarte Perez in real life, was pronounced dead at "12:20 a.m."The cause of his death, according to reports, is "multiple head injuries," which he sustained after his vehicle was hit by a bus and a truck in Paniqui, Tarlac.
Here's the official statement of ABS-CBN that was sent by Its head of corporate communications Bong Osorio: "Kapamilya talent AJ Perez passed away early this morning after being rushed to a hospital in Tarlac. Together with his father, 2 road managers, a driver and an event marshal, they met a vehicular accident on their way back to Manila after a provincial show. ABS-CBN sympathizes with AJ's family on his untimely demise, and urges everyone to pray for the eternal repose of AJ's soul and for the family and loved ones he left behind"
On Twitter, he wrote the reaction of Mr. Gerardo Perez (published as is): "Sana, panaginip lang to, Ogie. Si Aj ang buhay namin ng mami nya, bakit sya pa? Sana, ako na lang."
Mr. Perez was with his son when the accident happened.
AJ's mom Victoria was still reeling from the shock when she spoke to Ogie in a phone interview. Her words, according to Ogie's Tweet: "Tinanong ko si dadi, bat ang tagal nilang umuwi? Pauwi na raw sila from Dagupan, pero nag-aalala pa rn ako, d ko alam kumbakit balisa ako."
The Star Magic talent just finished his show in Dagupan, Pangasinan, which celebrated its annual Bangus Festival.
Here's Ogie's report via @ogiediaz:
"Galing ng Dagupan, pauwi na. Tulog lahat sa van. Sa Tarlac, biglang bumangga sa trak. Bago pa nadala si AJ Perez sa ospital, wala nang buhay."
"Sa bus po bumangga ang van sakay si AJ Perez kung saan yung left brain nya ang matinding napuruhan."
"Nasa isang clinic sa Paniqui, Tarlac ang mga labi ni AJ Perez. Kausap ko si Daddy kanina, iyak nang iyak. Ndi ako makakatulog nito."
AJ is set to star in an episode of Maalaala Mo Kaya this April 30. Prior to this, he was one of the male leads in the TV series, Sabel.
About four hours ago, his second to the last tweet @ajperez17 was about the trip: "On the way home already from Dagupan. Long drive ahead... Thanks to everybody who watched..."
AJ's body will be in La Salle Greenhills starting this afternoon until Tuesday lunchtime.
