Who was Maria Respeto? GoFundMe raises more than $2,700 for beloved singer

Freestyle musician Maria Respeto, best known as Giggles, passed away at the age of 60 on Monday, March 18, 2024. A GoFundMe account has since been created to support her family.

Maria Respeto gained stardom after releasing her hit song, Love Letter. She has released numerous other tracks, including Hot Spot and What Goes Around… Comes Around.

The singer best known as Giggles has passed away (Image via GoFundMe)

Specific details about her death were not made public at the time of writing this article. However, fans took to the internet to extend support through financial means.

The ‘Donate in Memory of Maria Christina Respeto’ GoFundMe fundraising campaign had amassed over $2,700 at the time of writing this article. The campaign has been set with the goal of raising $5000 for the late singer's funeral and to help her family.

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Everything to know about Maria Respeto as GoFundMe page gains traction online

Maria Respeto attended South Shore High School in Brooklyn and nurtured her musical skills, taking the stage for future success. The Brooklyn, New York native is reportedly best known as ‘the Original Giggles’ among fans and fellow artists.

She is the daughter of Maria Teresa Medrano Martinez and Inocente Alvarado Vizcarra. She has four siblings, including Jose Luis, Inocente, Martha, and Maria de Los Angeles.

Giggles has now left behind her two sons, Robert and Christian.

The fundraising campaign, which had set a goal of raising $5,000, was created to ensure that Maria Respeto got a respectful funeral service. It also aimed to relieve the singer's family of “financial strain.”

The GoFundMe page was created by Camille Hernandez. It spoke about the singer's music and her personality. It stated that Maria was a "loving mother, daughter, sister, and devoted friend."

“Maria was a loving mother, daughter, sister, and devoted friend. Her smile and presence brightened the lives of everyone who knew her. She touched countless hearts with her kindness, compassion and infections laughter.”

The top donation to the fundraising campaign of $500 was made by Hector Respeto. Several people also shared their tributes and extended support to the Respeto family. A few comments under the GoFundMe page discussed how they loved Maria's music and were devastated to hear of her passing. Some noted that while they didn't know Maria personally, they loved her music and had been following her career for a long time.

Netizens share their support and tributary messages to the Respeto family (Image via GoFundMe)

Netizens share their support and tributary messages to the Respeto family (Image via GoFundMe)

Netizens share their support and tributary messages to the Respeto family (Image via GoFundMe)

Netizens share their support and tributary messages to the Respeto family (Image via GoFundMe)

According to the GoFundMe page, Maria Respeto's funeral will be held on Saturday, March 23, 2024.