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Tragedy has struck for the family of Glee star Charice Pempengco. The estranged father of the 19-year-old Filipino starlet, best known for her role as Sunshine Corazon on the FOX show, was stabbed to death Monday night in the singer-actress' hometown in the Philippines.
Charice took to Twitter Tuesday night to apologize to fans for having to pull out of concert appearances scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday night in Singapore.
"I am not going to be there to be part of David Foster and Friends concert," she tweeted. "I have to go back to the Philippines as soon as possible to be with my family. I hope you all understand. I love you all and I will see you next year."
The Associated Press is reporting that Charice's father, 40-year-old construction worker Ricky Pempengco, was at a grocery store in San Pedro township south of Manila, when he accidentally brushed against a drunk man. According to local police, the drunk man became enraged and stabbed Pempengco in the back and chest with an ice pick. A manhunt has been launched for the suspected individual, with a 20,000 pesos ($470) reward being offered for information leading to an arrest.
Though local media outlets reported that Charice has long been estranged from her father -- she and her brother will very young when their mother left Ricky -- she tweeted on Tuesday that the two of them once had a "really great relationship."
"I loved him and I will still love him," Charice added on Twitter. "He's still my Dad after all."
Charice was well known in Asia for her live performances and TV talent-show appearances before she rose to fame in the United States, thanks to her YouTube videos (which went viral) and an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show when she was 15. Oprah Winfrey once dubbed her the "most talented girl in the world."
Charice, who released her first studio album in 2010, previously made headlines for getting Botox before her first Glee appearance. She is set to return to the show on a recurring basis in season 3.
