Singer and 'Glee' Star Charice's Father Murdered

Filipino singing star and Glee actress Charice has canceled her tour dates in Southeast Asia and returned to her family after her father was murdered in the Philippines.

Charice, who had a guest star role on the TV musical Glee last season, learned on Monday that her father, from whom she had been estranged, had been killed outside Manila.

I want to thank my fans from around the world for their support and love at this very difficult time, the singer, who was on tour in Indonesia, said in a statement. We are all very sad about this terribly tragedy.

Charice, 19, had been estranged from her father but had been hoping to reconcile with him, a spokeswoman said.

Television news reports in Manila said Ricky Pempengco was stabbed during a bout of drinking when he left to buy cigarettes from a street vendor. A suspect is in custody.

Discovered with the help of Oprah Winfrey, the singer has appeared in Madison Square Garden with Celine Dion, and with Andrea Bocelli in Italy, in addition to her role on Glee as schoolgirl Sunshine Corazon.