Trivia

His wife, Josefa "Nena" Gutierrez, a former flight attendant, is the younger sister of Bob Soler.

He had four children with his wife, Nena: son, Joko Diaz; daughter, Cheska Diaz; daughter, Johanna; and daughter, Maria Cristina. He also had two children from another relationship: son, Fernando; and daughter, Anna.

He started out as a basketball player for the Far Eastern University Tamaraws before joining show business.

Older brother of Romy Diaz.

On February 27, 2011, a tabloid erroneously reported that he had died, but the family quickly denied the news the following day. It was the second time that he had been inadvertently "killed" in the news. In 2004, he was mistakenly reported dead after he suffered a stroke. He recovered after two months.

In 2007, Diaz and his wife retired to Daraga in the hope the fresh sea air would do him good.

He died at 8:20 p.m. due to complications from pneumonia, in his home in Daraga, Philippines. He was discharged from the Estevez Memorial Hospital in Legazpi City two days earlier, where he had been confined since February 3, 2011, for pneumonia and shortness of breath.

Played college basketball for the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the NCAA before transferring to the UAAP with the FEU Tamaraws.

He and younger brother Romy Diaz were of Mexican descent.