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Lolit Solis
Filipino journalist and talent manager (1947–2025) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Maria Lolita Arguelles "Lolit" Solis (May 20, 1947 – July 3, 2025) was a Filipino talk show host, entertainment news writer and talent manager.
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Early life and education
Solis was born on May 20, 1947, in Manila, Philippines.[1] She grew up in the squatters' area in Lardizabal, Sampaloc, near National University, where she attended one journalism seminar.[2]
Solis was a graduate of Mass Communication from the University of the Philippines Diliman.[3] During that time, she was a classmate of Joey de Leon, who later became one of her cohosts in Startalk.[2] She also studied political science in the same university but did not finish the degree.[4]
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Career
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Solis first worked as a reporter covering the police beat in the 1970s before shifting to entertainment reporting for The Philippine Star.[5] In the 1980s, she also began managing actors, including Gabby Concepcion, Tonton Gutierrez, Christopher de Leon, Lorna Tolentino, Rudy Fernandez, Bong Revilla and Paolo Contis.[6][3]
In 1995, Solis became the host of the long-running GMA Network entertainment talk show Startalk until its conclusion in 2015.[7] She also wrote as a columnist for the tabloid Pilipino Star Ngayon[3] and The Philippine Star. In 2009 to 2010, she was a judge for the fifth season of the reality talent competition StarStruck.[8]
Solis also appeared in several films such as Lost Command (1988) and My Kontrabida Girl (2012). She also appeared in television series such as Daboy en Da Girl and Lyra.[9]
Controversies
Manila Film Festival scandal
Solis was involved in the 1994 Manila Film Festival scandal, wherein co-hosts Rocky Gutierrez and Miss Universe Mauritius Viveka Babajee announced the names of Solis' then-talent Gabby Concepcion and beauty queen Ruffa Gutierrez as Best Actor and Actress, instead of Edu Manzano and Aiko Melendez, who were the actual winners.[10] Another co-host, Gretchen Barretto, later revealed the scam, and accused Solis and Annabelle Rama as masterminds behind it.[11] Solis and six others were charged. Solis ultimately pleaded guilty to the offense of orchestrating the scam.[12] She was ordered to pay a fine[13] and placed under court supervision under probationary law.[14]
Solis subsequently stopped attending awarding ceremonies after the controversy, which she referred to as both a "nightmare and the biggest lesson in her life".[15] She also admitted to having attempted to commit suicide at the height of the scandal.[16]
Lawsuits
In 1994, Solis sued Gabby Concepcion, accusing him of not paying her commissions and related fees during her wardship. However, he filed a counterclaim and won the case in 2004, with the Court of Appeals ordering Solis to pay him P700,000 in damages and litigation fees instead.[17]
In 2007, Solis was indicted along with Pilipino Star Ngayon entertainment editor Veronica Samio for libel in a P12 million-lawsuit by actors Sam Milby and Piolo Pascual after she alleged in her column on Pilipino Star Ngayon that the both actors were spotted sharing "sweet moments" together at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila. The case was withdrawn after Solis retracted her claims. In 2017, Pascual and Solis publicly reconciled.[18]
In 2022, Solis was expelled from the Professional Artist Managers Inc. (PAMI), of which she was a founding member, for breaching the organization's confidentiality agreement.[19] This followed a dispute between her and actress Bea Alonzo and Alonzo's talent manager Shirley Kuan over Solis's exclusion from an event of Alonzo's. Solis also said that she had also been sued for libel by Alma Moreno, which was eventually withdrawn.[20]
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Personal life and death
Solis was married to engineer-architect Angie Pasamonte but separated shortly after amid financial problems.[2] She had two daughters.[21] During her marriage, Solis lived in Pampanga before moving back to Manila. She eventually resided in Fairview, Quezon City.[2]
In 2022, she was hospitalized.[22] She later shared that she had been regularly undergoing dialysis.[23] She died from a heart attack on July 3, 2025, at the age of 78.[24][25]
Works
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2025) |
Film
Television
Radio
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References
External links
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