Ricardo Carlos Castro Yan (March 14, 1975 – March 29, 2002) was a Filipino matinee idol, model, actor and entrepreneur. He was under an exclusive contract in the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Network and was a member of their circle of home-grown talent named Star Magic. He was a Youth Spokesman for the Department of Education, touring the Philippines for free to promote education among youths, as well as establishing "Pinoy 'Yan!", a non-profit organization that aims to make young people stay in school and value education.

Work[link]

Yan graduated from De La Salle University-Manila, with a degree in Marketing and Management. ^[1]

He assisted the "Are You a Forest King?" foundation, visiting many schools to promote the importance of tree growth. He was also a successful, strategist entrepreneur, having owned several restaurants, one of which is "Tequila Joes".

Before death[link]

Before Rico's death he was also finished taping his blockbuster film offering for summer 2002 Got 2 Believe under Star Cinema and was about to finish the last 2 months of filming the Primetime Soap Opera Saan Ka Man Naroroon which was topbilled by reel-real life girl friend and screen partner Claudine Barretto and was about to start a new TV Primetime TV series Sa Dulo Ng Walang Hanggan with his then girlfriend after the success of there top rating soap operas with the network and screen presence with the audience even though reports of unsuspected fights and quarrels as a couple were noticed before his death.

Interviews with past Noontime hosts of the Variety program Magandang Tanghali Bayan noticed Rico's present actions of also comforting and talking and cheering with his hosts were hard to believe of his demise as he was mostly seen everyday on the set before the wake of his death the hosts also gathered to reminescence the final days they spent with the actor TV Host/Actress Amy Perez as "an emotional moment he was trying to comfort his crew and friends that everything was going to be all right" despite the variety shows unreceptive background as the series also had network wars with the ratings battle with the longest weekday variety show Eat Bulaga.

Death[link]

On March 29, 2002, the day after shooting a television commercial for Talk n' Text, Yan was found dead inside his room by his friend, actor Dominic Ochoa at the Dos Palmas Resort in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. Autopsy concluded that Yan had died of cardiac arrest caused by acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis while asleep. He was 27. According to Ochoa, the group attended a party the night before and went back to their cottage at around 2 AM Friday. The five friends slept together in one big room, with Yan occupying the loft because he was a snorer. At around 6 AM, Yan was heard groaning but his companions dismissed it as mere snoring. When Ochoa tried to wake Yan up at past 9, he found him stiff and lifeless.^[2]

His public wake was held in La Salle Greenhills, where he finished grade school and high school. An estimated 10,000 people attended his last funeral rites in Manila, and was televised live on ABS-CBN. He is buried in Manila Memorial Park, Parañaque City.

Actress Rosanna Roces drew criticism from Yan's fans for suggesting in her talkshow Startalk that Yan died of ecstasy overdose and that Yan’s autopsy report was doctored. Roces claimed she was told by a reliable source that actor Dominic Ochoa bought 12 tablets of drug ecstasy, in Cubao, Quezon City before the group left for Dos Palmas resort in Palawan. Roces said one of the side effects of ecstasy is for users to say "I Love You" to other persons, even if they don’t know them personally. She said she experienced the same feeling when she tried the drug in the past. Roces quoting sources, said, Yan greeted several people in the resort "I Love You" while singing on the night prior to his death.^[3] As a result, Roces was suspended by GMA Network for one month.^[4]

A portion of the proceeds from the ticket sales of his last movie Got 2 Believe along with the video sales of the documentary Forever Young: Remembering Rico packaged with Dahil Mahal Na Mahal Kita, which was said to be one of his favorite works, contributed to the Rico Yan Youth Foundation.

Personal life[link]

Yan is one of four children, a grandson of former Foreign Affairs Secretary retired Gen. Manuel Yan. He was the brother of TV host Bobby Yan and, at the time of his death, was the boyfriend of Claudine Barretto.

Filmography[link]

Awards[link]

1999 FAMAS Youth Achievement Award,

1999 Philippine National Red Cross Pledge 25 Spokesperson

1999 Parangal ng Bayan - Best Young Actor

1999 Official DECS-CSCA Spokesperson and Role Model for Students and Youth

1998 Outstanding Youth Male Model in The Field of Entertainment (KASAMA Foundation)

1998 Most Popular Love Team - Rico Yan and Judy Ann Santos (Pabonggahan sa Moviestar'98),

1997 Best Male Star - Kislap Magazine

1997 Best Male Star - Movie Star Fan Magazine

Nominated

1997 Star Awards for Movies Best New Actor

2002 FAMAS Awards for Best Actor-Got To Believe in MAgic

Commercials:

Rainforest Water

Master Eskinol

Greenwich Pizza

Eggnog Cookies

Bleue tab jeans

Genre T-shirt

PR Omac Athletic shoes

Talk 'N Text

References[link]

External links[link]

• Rico Yan at the Internet Movie Database
• The Mystique of Rico Yan: The Wholesome Kid as an Icon
• Rico Yan's Last Interview