Veteran theater, film and television actor Spanky Manikan died on Sunday. He was 75. Spanky Manikan According to reports, he was battling stage four lung cancer. In an article published on ABS-CBN News, the confirmation of Spanky's death was relayed by his wife actress Susan Africa through a text message sent to her manager Ed Instrella. She said that her husband “peacefully joined his Creator at 11:41.” “Please pray for his eternal peace and happiness. Thank you for everything,” she added. Actor Joel Saracho also verified the sad news on his Facebook page. "Paalam bunying aktor, Spanky Manikan. Kupkupin ka nawa ni bathala sa kanyang kanlungan," his captioned read. The illness of the actor-director was publicized August last year by his friend and fellow actor Nanding Josef, who wrote on his social media account that Spanky “needs our help.” "Spanky, 75 years old has been diagnosed with lung cancer, stage four, and is in need of financial assistance. He has been hospitalized four times already for various complications which has drained family savings," he shared. One of Philippine cinema's most seasoned character actors, among his best known roles are in “Maynila Sa Kuko Ng Liwanag,” “Bona,” “Broken Marriage,” and “Himala,” for which he was named best supporting actor at the 1981 Metro Manila Film Festival. Spanky's last projects on television were "Alyas Robin Hood," and "FPJ's Ang Probinsyano" and "My Love From The Star," until he was diagnosed with cancer and was replaced by actor Crispin Pineda in July. Susan posted a throwback photo of Spanky and captioned it with "Rest in peace my beloved Pangga. The greatest love of my life." The couple has three children — Eli, Mika and Miguel.