– Norman Santos, one of the original members of the famed 90s dance group, Universal Motion Dancers, has died at the age of 52

– The sad news was confirmed by his partner, Chato Maria, in a recent post on social media

– The late UMD member’s partner also revealed in her post the cause of his death

– The group’s dance moves propelled them to fame during the 90s and they also did some movies during that time

Norman Santos, one of the original member of the famous 90s dance group, the Universal Motion Dancers, has died at the young age of 52.

This was confirmed by Norman’s long-time partner, Chato Maria, in a recent Facebook post.

She also revealed in her post the cause of his death.

“It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of Norman Santos on February 3, 2025,” Maria said in her Facebook post announcing the death of Norman.

“After a prolonged fight against kidney failure, necessitating dialysis for over 12 years,” she added.

Norman’s partner then said published a tentative schedule of the UMD member’s wake, which would be in Olongapo City.

“TENTATIVE Viewing will take place from February 12 to 16 @St Peter Memorial Chapel in Tabacuhan, Olongapo City (Del Rosario St),” Maria said.

Actor Wowie De Guzman, on learning about the death of his close friend and UMD co-member, posted an emotional tribute on Facebook.

Wowie, along with Brian Furlow, Marco McKinley, Gerry Oliva, Gerard Fainsan, and twins Jim and James Salas, were the original members of the famed dance group.

In his post, Wowie called Norman his “utol,” a tagalog slang for “brother.”

“UTOL….mahal na mahal ka namin.Hindi man naging maayos ang pagsasama ng grupo sa huli..at the end of the day magkakapatid tayo,” Wowie said in an emotional post.

He then said that all he wanted is for his group to be in the best situation and then apologized for whatever shortcomings he may have had.

Wowie then expressed how much he and their group love Norman, saying that he would never have reached where he is right now if not for Norman and other members of their group.

“Wala akong ibang hangad kundi kabutihan nating lahat..pasensya ka na sa mga pagkukulang ko sayo Man..mahal na mahal ka namin,” the actor wrote in his post.

“Hindi ko mararating ang kinalalagyan ko ngayon kung hindi dahil sayo…we love you Norman Santos UMD for Life…kitakits tayo nila Gerard sa finals ng buhay ko🙌,” Wowie said, adding the hashtags #TopboysOlongapocity #umd to his post.

It can be recalled that another of their member, Gerard Fainsan, also died at a very young age due to an asthma attack. He was 23 at the time of his death.

Wowie de Guzman is an actor and was one of the original members of the 90s dance group, Universal Motion Dancers. He rose to fame and landed acting jobs. Wowie was also one of Judy Ann Santos’ leading man. Their love-team beame the number one screen tandem during the mid to late 1990s. they both starred in movies like Sana Naman, Kung Alam Mo Lang, Wow Multo, Mara Clara: The Movie, Esperanza: The Movie, Paano Ang Puso Ko?, Muling Ibalik ang Tamis ng Pag-ibig, Kasal-Kasalan, Sakal-Sakalan, Dito Sa Puso Ko and many more. They also starred in hit TV series like Esperanza and Mara Clara.

In an interview way back in 2021, Wowie shared why finding a partner is not one of his priorities at the time because he wanted to focus his attention to his son, Raf. Nevertheless, Wowie said during the interview that he’s still hoping he would find a girl he would have for keeps but at the time, he wanted to make the most of his time with his son. The actor and original member of UMD also shared his life back when he was at the pinnacle of his fame and when his love-team with Judy Ann Santos.

In 2019, Wowie’s appearance in the noontime show It’s Showtime surprised the live audience. He joined the matchmaking segment of the show known as ‘KapareWho’. Netizens could not help to take a trip down the memory lane upon seeing their favorite 90’s matinee idol.