Mexico grieves the loss of renowned Mexican comedian Roberto Gómez Bolaños, more popularly known as "Chespirito," after he was confirmed dead at the age of 85 on Friday at his home in Cancun, Mexico.
The death of the legendary comedian Chespirito--who was also a writer, actor, screenwriter, songwriter, film director and TV producer--was confirmed by Mexican media conglomerate Televisa where he spent the bulk of his entertainment career on television.
During his career, the Mexican comedian was able to alter the very essence of comedy in Latin America through creating a whole new humor by taking Laurel and Hardy as inspiration.
Bolaños was also famous as the creator of the boy television character "El Chavo del Ocho" showcased as one with freckles, barrel, striped shirt and frayed cap, and the naive superhero "El Chapulin Colorado" or "The Crimson Grasshopper."
Televisa, the world's biggest Spanish-language program producer and Chespirito's home for over four decades, did not give any further details as to his passing, especially the cause of death, though the comedian was known to have spent his last few years in Cancun due to health problems.
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto extended his condolences to Bolaños's wife, actress-comedian Florinda Meza and his six children from his past marriage.
"Mexico has lost an icon whose work has transcended generations and borders," Peña Nieto's Twitter account read.
His son, TV producer Roberto Gomez Fernandez, described him as someone with "an extraordinary knowledge of human nature in many respects" which, he says, is the reason why his father's works did not lose their comedic impact even after being translated into several different languages.
According to his official biography, Bolaños got his pseudonym "Chespirito" after a film director who read some of his works dubbed him as "a little Shakespeare," an apt description to his writing prowess as well as his 5-foot-2-inch height.