Rufa Mae Quinto stresses no foul play in husband's death

Rufa Mae Quinto has finally put to rest the rumors surrounding the death of her husband, Trevor Magallanes.

In a 21-minute vlog she uploaded on her YouTube channel, the comedienne opened up about Magallanes' passing in July and clarified details about the status of their relationship then. 

In a black dress, sitting on an off-white tufted armchair, Quinto addressed her viewers directly: “Sudden death po ang nangyari [sa asawa ko]. Wala pong suicide or foul play…’Yun po ang sabi sa autopsy." Later on, she clarified: "[It was] natural. It's his time. So only God knows."

In the latter part of the video, Quinto was joined by Magallanes' older brother Jesse, who further shed light on his brother's passing.

"Unfortunately there's a lot of heart attacks and things that run in our family. My grandfather passed away [from a] heart attack. Our uncle passed away; he had a heart attack. Our father passed away at a young age, as well."

Jesse flew to the Philippines to be with his sister-in-law and niece. 

“I’m here to show our support for Rufa and Athena,” he said. “With the sudden death of my brother… it’s really tough for them right now. I’m here just to help out, spend our time with these two, and show our love from America.” 

Quinto confirmed her husband's death in an Instagram post on July 31.

"I'm deeply saddened by this development. Hope u give us time to mourn his [loss], especially my daughter. Just pray for us that we will get thru this by the help of God!" she wrote in the caption of her IG carousel of photos with Magallanes.

They were “still gathering information about his death” at the time, she said. 

In the video, Quinto admitted that she initially didn’t speak out to spare her and Magallanes’ daughter, eight-year-old Athena, the trauma of reliving her father’s death over and over on the internet. But ultimately, she decided to set the record straight to gain closure for herself, her daughter, and Magallanes’ family. 

She also addressed rumors about how she was handling Magallanes’ insurance money. As she jumped back into work after her husband’s death, people have taken issue with Quinto, a professional comedienne, telling jokes amid her grief. 

“Baka maraming nag-iisip na masaya ako dahil kinubra ko [ang] pera [ni Trevor] or winithdraw ko na agad. sa totoo, wala po akong nakuha. Maraming proseso ‘yan—application forms, schedules. At hindi naman isang bagsak yata ang bigay,” she said. 

“Actually hindi ko iniisip ‘yun. Kaya kong buhayin ang sarili ko at ang anak ko,” she continued. 

Quinto tied the knot with Magallanes, who was based in the US, in November 2016. They welcomed Athena in February the following year.

In December 2024, Magallanes posted an Instagram story sharing that he and Quinto were in the process of a divorce. All that mattered to him then, he shared, was spending time with their daughter. 

In the vlog she just posted, however, Quinto revealed that the divorce never materialized. 

“Nagmahalan po kami. Mula umpisa na nagsama kami, never kami naghiwalay. On the very first day, alam ko na na siya ang mahal ko,” Quinto tearfully said. “Last year, nag-away kami…pero nag-ayos kami. Kaya kami hindi nag-divorce kasi na-realize din niya na asawa niya ‘ko.”