Fiery, motherly ‘Manay’ Lolit Solis; 78
Lolita Solis, the irreverent veteran show biz journalist and talent manager fondly known as “Manay Lolit,” died on July 3 at the FEU-NRMF Medical Center due to complications from her long battle with chronic kidney disease. She was 78.
She is survived by her daughter, Sneezy Solis McDonald, who confirmed her mother’s passing in an official statement.
“Manay Lolit leaves behind a loving family and many friends who will always cherish her memory,” she said. “We remember her as a feisty and staunch loyal supporter, manager, and friend.”
Long before social media tore down the walls of show biz, Solis’ words served as a window through which fans glimpsed into the private lives of their favorite celebrities.
Through her columns and television shows, Solis—with her signature frankness—didn’t just report on the entertainment industry; she spiced it up, turning it into something impossible to ignore or look away from.
A life laid bare
In the end, it was her own life she laid bare with the same candor. In the days leading to her passing, Solis chronicled her declining health and reflections on mortality, the ups and downs of which mirrored the very controversies she once covered—and, at times, found herself in or generated herself.
“I’m very thankful but I must admit I’m a little tired… I feel like my journey in life is done—been there, done that. I feel complete and grateful to my God. So, I will leave now. No regrets. Life was good to me,” she wrote in an Instagram post last week.
From police beat
Born on May 20, 1947, in Sampaloc, Manila, Solis—a mass communication graduate from the University of the Philippines Diliman—started her career in journalism in the late 1960s as a police beat reporter, until her good friend, the late Douglas Quijano, convinced her to join the Daily Star, where he used to write show biz items.
The rest, as they say, was history. Not only did she maintain long-running columns in a number of publications, but she also came to dominate television’s gabfests—most notably GMA 7’s “Startalk” (1995–2015), where her penchant for playful “harbat” (little gift requests) and rapid-fire, shot-clock thank-you spiels became a trademark, their long list of sponsors rivaled only by the number of celebrities whose careers she would go on to manage.
Among those she took under her wing were Sen. Bong Revilla Jr., Gabby Concepcion, Christopher de Leon, Lorna Tolentino, Lani Mercado, Pauleen Luna, Sandy Andolong, Tonton Gutierrez, Rudy Fernandez, Paolo Contis, and Yasmien Kurdi.
Fiercely protective
As a manager, Lolit Solis was known for being fiercely protective of her talents. So protective, in fact, that she came up with a now-infamous scheme—the 1994 Manila Film Festival scandal—in which her then-wards, Concepcion and Ruffa Gutierrez, were wrongly announced as best actor and best actress, respectively, during the awards ceremony.
The incident sparked national outrage and became an enduring nightmare for her in the years that followed. Yet while she became something of a polarizing figure to the public—and despite the occasional libel lawsuits her sharp tongue continued to court—she remained well-loved within the industry, thanks to her colorful mix of wit and mischief, which she delivered with equal parts warmth and generosity.
‘Rock’ and ‘mother’
At press conferences, the most coveted table was always the one where she sat—if only to catch a sliver of the latest gossip, or even just the crack of her unmistakable laughter.
In a Facebook post, Revilla, one of Solis’ dearest friends and wards, described the late show biz icon as his “rock,” his “mother.”
“Wala ng sakit, wala ng hirap. Napakalaki mong kawalan sa napakaraming taong nahaplos ng iyong pagmamahal, gayundin sa industriya to which you dedicated your entire life,” he wrote.
