Jim Paredes on Danny Javier’s passing: ‘I will remember him even when he’s gone’

Jim Paredes of the Apo Hiking Society shared some of his fondest memories with co-member Danny Javier, who passed away on Oct. 31.

In a virtual interview with CNN Philippines, the singer and composer got emotional while talking about his longtime friend and bandmate.

“I can sigh, and that sigh will mean that, you know, a deep sigh when you’ve known somebody for 50 years. You’ve gone through thick and thin; you’ve done everything together. Too many memories. I’ll remember him even when he’s gone. I’ll probably have a continuing dialogue with him for the rest of my life,” Paredes said.

Paredes also shared about the last few moments he spent with Javier when the latter was confined in the ICU. The singer said he held Javier’s hand the entire time and would “kiss his hand" and say "love you bro."

“And then I sang a song, a line from a Beatles song Two of Us. And it goes: You and I have memories longer than the road that’s just out ahead.”

Paredes noticed that Javier was getting tired but he still tried to smile even though he was covered up in tubes. 

“I could see he was getting tired, so I said ‘Danny, alis na ko.’ And then he squeezed me really tight and then I let go of his hand. And then I said, ‘Love you bro. Till we meet again.’”

Friendship of a lifetime

For Paredes, their friendship span time and life experiences.

“Boboy (Garrovillo), Danny and I were like family. We’re brothers. Like brothers, we go through a lot, may tampuhan, we’ve committed crimes together, and we did a lot of stuff. We made music,” Paredes said.

“We’re good for each other, we supported each other, we were all creative. The only thing we only had one promise to each other, 'if it’s not fun anymore, let’s stop.' Yun lang, wala kaming kontrata,” he said.

When asked if he were to compose a song to Javier, Paredes said the lyrics would have the words: love, true love, and unconditional. 

“Something funny. We all made each other feel good. We laugh at each other’s jokes, we really appreciated each other’s contribution to the team,” the OPM icon said.

Javier died due to cardiac arrest at the National Kidney Transplant Institute. He was 75.

He, alongside Paredes and Boboy Garrovillo, formed the Apo Hiking Society or APO in 1969.

They were known for their hit songs Awit Ng Barkada, Lumang Tugtugin, Batang-Bata Ka Pa, Panalangin, Kabilugan Ng Buwan, and more.