Romeo "Choppy" Vargas, regarded as one of the country's pioneering stand-up comics with his Porkchop Duo partner, Renato "Porky" Gomez, died in New York. He was 63.

Otan Vargas, Choppy's son, broke the news on Facebook Tuesday.

Porky and Choppy, who rose to fame for their lewd brand of humor, endeared themselves to millions of OFWs (overseas Filipino workers), performing in more than 30 countries throughout their career that spanned 3 decades.

Choppy was born in Tondo to a Bisaya mother and a Bicolano dad.

In his autobiography, "The Making of Porkchop Duo," he said that knew he was born to be a comedian after his parents noticed that he craved attention at a very young age --whether it was from his "imaginary friends," or from the "resident ants" that climbed up and down their walls.

In the same book, he described himself and Porky, who died in 2009, as "superheroes" whose sole job was to try and make people happier "one stage at a time" with their jokes that told a "fragment of their own personal lives."

According to his son, a wake for Choppy will be held starting Sunday at the Bethany Seventh Day Adventist Church in Westbury Long Island, New York.