Goodbye FM

People call him many names: Kiko, Master Rapper, The Man from Manila… but I know him as FM. It was during Philippine Idol that we decided to call him that. At the time, I was with our host, Ryan Agoncillo, our production consultant, Sheldon Bailey, and our judges Ryan Cayabyab, Pilita Corrales and of course him, Francis Magalona. It was before the live performances, I think. We were deciding how our host Ryan would address the judges. Ryan Cayabyab was already known as Mr. C, and Pilita was most comfortable with Mamita. But we felt calling Francis “Kiko” would be too informal and won’t command as much respect.

He was the youngest of our three judges. But, an accomplished songwriter and producer and an icon of his generation, he was as worthy a judge as the other two. True, he had critics. But so did Mr. C and Mamita. And so do Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul, for that matter. And even then, at the age of 41, Francis was already a legend among his peers and commanded the respect of all the young artists. (And somehow he did that and not look a day over 20.)

So, we were thinking of a name that somehow captures that respect that everyone has for him. One that was at par with Mr. C but didn’t seem forced or didn’t feel awkward for a “Master Rapper” like him. Not sure who it was that said FM. Maybe it was Ryan. Or maybe it was Francis himself. But it was the perfect name. And for the rest of the season that was what we called him.

Tonight, I said my farewell to FM. It was the last night of his wake. I was one of the last to see him before they moved his coffin to the church for the mass. There were so many fans, friends and family there. I was with some colleagues from Idol. Nobody there knew who we were and that was ok, because we were just in a little corner. Francis, after all, had been part of many shows and had become a friend to almost everyone in the industry. A lot of people there knew him and had been working with him for over two decades. There were big celebrities and famous personalities. Stars were preparing for the eulogy and had so many stories to tell. Fans were watching outside the church (the organizers set up a huge screen and sound system so they can watch the ceremony). News crews were everywhere. Press photographers were taking pictures of everyone.

But in the midst of it all, among the countless people he has touched, I felt lucky. Lucky that even for just one season and for just one show, I was able to work with him and knew firsthand what a great guy he was. Lucky that I too have memories with him. And lucky that though he was a very close friend to many, I was among the few who got to call him FM.