Rio Diaz was the first wife of Congressman Charlie Cojuangco.
Charlie Cojuangco was the youngest son of the late businessman Danding Cojuangco. Sadly, Charlie Cojuangco died at the age of 58 as announced by his wife China Jocson announced on Tuesday, February 22.
Charlie Cojuangco’s first wife Rio Diaz was the beauty queen of the Philippines. Aside this, she is also known as a television presenter, actor, and politician.
Rio Diaz was born Rosario Aspillera Diaz and was born on 14 August 1959.
Rio Diaz passed away on on 4 October 2004 at Seton Medical Center in Daly City, California.
During a routine checkup in December 1998, Rio Diaz’s American doctors informed her of a small growth in her left abdomen. After a six-hour surgery, they found a malignant tumour in its fourth stage, and she was given three months to live. However, she underwent another operation, and received chemotherapy for three months.
In 1999, Stanford oncologist Dr George Fisher, declared that Rio Diaz had been cured.
But the cancer cells returned in May 2000 and Rio Diaz travelled back to Stanford for an eight-hour surgical procedure and another round of chemotherapy sessions.
Rio Díaz stopped the sessions in 2002, citing her body’s inability to cope further, but her physicians later that year said she had no recourse but to continue treatment.
Six years after the original diagnosis, Rio Díaz died on 4 October 2004 at Seton Medical Center in Daly City, California, at the age of 45.