Nora Aunor, Singer-Actress Called ‘the Superstar’ in Philippines, Dies at 71

Nora Aunor, a powerful Filipina actress and singer who for nearly 60 years captivated audiences — her devoted fans were called Noranians — earning the nickname “the Superstar,” died on April 16 in the city of Pasig, near Manila. She was 71.

Her death, in a hospital, was announced by her family. The cause was acute respiratory failure after an angioplasty, according to news media reports.

“Over the decades, she built a career that shaped the very soul of our culture,” her son Ian de Leon said at a news conference.

Ms. Aunor was known widely for her petite stature, expressive eyes, which could convey a breadth of emotions, and a somewhat darker skin than was commonplace in Filipino show business when she was starting out.

Movie stars in the country then were “usually mixed race, with prominent Spanish or Caucasian and American looks, some of whom were children of American G.I.s,” said José B. Capino, the author of “Martial Law Melodrama” (2020), about the visionary Filipino director Lino Brocka.

Ms. Aunor’s movie career began in the 1960s with teeny-bopper films and romcoms but graduated to serious fare like “Bona,” a 1980 drama directed by Mr. Brocka in which she portrayed the title character, a middle-class teenager obsessed with a handsome, narcissistic bit player in movies.