MANILA, Philippines?(UPDATE) She is no ordinary nanny.

Who?s the other yaya who had starred in movies and in TV commercials?

Who?s the other yaya who, in death, would be interred at the Santuario de San Antonio in posh Forbes Park.

Loreta Benitez, or Yaya Luring as she is known in show biz circles, wasn?t just like any other nanny, or household helper, in the eyes of her famous ward, singer-actress Sharon Cuneta, also known as the country?s Megastar.

In a text message, Cuneta described Benitez, who succumbed to cardiac arrest on Saturday night at the age of 83, ?as one of the biggest losses? in her life.

?I don?t know how life will be without her,? Cuneta said.

Yaya Luring was definitely part of Mega?s family?and was treated as such.

Cuneta, who was in the middle of the publicity blitz for her latest movie, ?Mano Po 6: A Mother?s Love,? had to cancel all her appointments on Sunday ?including TV guestings and the premiere of her movie, an entry in this month?s Metro Manila Film Festival.

?I apologize to everyone. It?s hard to adjust now that she?s gone. She will forever be in my heart,? she said via SMS.

According to friend and business manager Sandy Santamaria, Cuneta and her husband Sen. Francis Pangilinan threw a Christmas party for their household staff in their rest home in Santa Rosa, Laguna, on Saturday night.

?While the staff exchanged gifts, Yaya Luring felt faint,? recalled Noel Ferrer, friend and a talent manager.

She was then rushed to a nearby hospital (in Laguna) where she was pronounced dead.

In an interview when she was still alive, Benitez recalled that she joined the Cuneta household 40 years ago.

A native of Pangasinan, a mother of two with at least four grandchildren, Benitez was already in her early 40s when she was hired by the Cunetas.

Benitez recounted: ?My own children were already grown up then. I took care of Sharon?s parents??former beauty queen and singer Elaine Gamboa-Cuneta and the late Pasay City Mayor Pablo Cuneta.

?Sharon was five years old then,? Benitez said.

She was originally in charge of the laundry and kitchen, before becoming the nanny of the Cunetas? youngest daughter.

In previous interviews, the singer-actress said that her father Mayor Cuneta passed on his recipe of sinigang to Yaya Luring.

Benitez used to cook sinigang in Boston where the Pangilinans stayed for a year in the late 1990s.

In her most active years, Yaya Luring went with her celebrity-ward everywhere.

She could very well be the most well-traveled nanny in the country?having accompanied Cuneta in her concert tours in the US, Asia and Europe.

She also appeared in cameo, blink-and-you?ll-miss-her roles in Cuneta?s movies.

Later, she co-starred with Cuneta in three high-profile commercials for a detergent (Tide), noodles (Lucky Me) and film brand (Fuji).

Lately, however, Benitez had gone into retirement and spent most of her remaining days in the Pangilinans? Laguna home, where the fresh air and unhurried lifestyle were perfect for her, said Cuneta?s personal assistant Penny Chung-Diamzon.

According to Ferrer, Yaya Luring will be buried on Dec. 23 in Heritage Memorial Park.