Rest in Peace Aj Perez

Antonello Joseph "AJ" Sarte Perez (February 17, 1993 – April 17, 2011)^[1][2] was a Filipino actor. He was a member of ABS-CBN's circle of homegrown talents collectively known as Star Magic in Batch 13. He portrayed one of the lead characters in the 2009 miniseries Your Song Presents: Underage.^[3]

Perez was born on February 17, 1993 to a Bicolana mother, Marivic Perez and Ilonggo father, Gerardo "Gerry" Perez. He has a younger brother, Angelo, who is 6 years younger than he is.^[4] He has attended high school at La Salle Greenhills in Greenhills, Mandaluyong City.^[5]

 

On April 17, 2011, Perez was on his way home from a show in Dagupan,^[7] when the ABS-CBN van he was riding in was hit by a Partas operated bus as the van tried to overtake a truck in front of it. The driver of the van did not have enough time to realize the oncoming bus on the onter lane, which resulted in the impact. The young actor suffered from multiple head injuries. His ribs went through his heart and left lung causing his death.^[1] The family of the late actor AJ Perez has decided to donate their son's cornea to a blind Marian devotee, Fatima Soriano in order for her to see again.

ABS-CBN news had an exclusive interview with AJ's father, Gerry, on April 18, 2011 about what had happen the night of the accident.^[8] During the variety TV program, ASAP, shown on ABS-CBN his fellow colleagues and friends paid tribute to him on April 17, 2011.^[9]