Primera kontrabida Bella Flores died early Sunday morning, May 19. The actress, best known for her villain roles succumb to diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. She was 84.
According to reports, Bela Flores was rushed to the Quezon City General Hospital by her daughter, Ruby Arcilla, and singer Imelda Papin, but was declared dead at 1:27 am.
Born Remedios Papa Dancel, Bella Flores became a prized contract artist of film production company Sampaguita Pictures in the 1950s. She rose to fame for her role as a villainous stepmother to two children in the 1951 film Roberta.
Bella Flores then went on to star in subsequent films as a "kontrabida," cementing her stature as the most recognizable and enduring actress to take on the archetype. She has appeared in over 100 films, won FAMAS Best Supporting Actress in 1967 for her role in the film Kaibigan Ko'ng Sto. Nino and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Film Academy of the Philippines in 1989.
Bella's most recent film project was the short comedy film 'Kontrabida 101' released by Benchingko Films in August last year, in celebration of Bench's 25th anniversary.
