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Roberto Gomez Bolanos dies

November 29, 2014

Roberto Gomez Bolanos, the iconic Mexican comedian who wrote and played the boy television character El Chavo del Ocho, which defined a generation for millions of Latin American children, has died aged 85.

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Roberto Gomez Bolanos Schauspieler Mexiko 2006
Image: Luis Acosta/AFP/Getty Images

Televisa announced the death of Gomez Bolanos at his home in Cancun Friday, but did not give a cause. Surviving family members include his wife, the actress Florinda Meza - a former co-star - as well as six children from his first marriage and 12 grandchildren.

A funny thing happened on Gomez Bolanos' way to completing engineering studies at Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. Fans remember him for his freckled, barrel-wearing orphan, El Chavo del Ocho or his not-so-super hero, El Chapulin Colorado, The Crimson Grasshopper.

His works were beamed across Latin America, and in dozens of languages to 90 countries. The Grasshopper inspired the Spanish-speaking Bumblebee Man on "The Simpsons," famous for his catchphrase "Ay ay ay, No me gusta." ("I don't like it.")

'Basically say nothing'

Born February 21, 1929, Gomez Bolanos wrote from a young age, and from the 1950s, put out hundreds of television episodes, 20 films, several theater productions and even a poetry collection. Talented both on the screen and behind it, he achieved smashing success in 1970 with the creation of his television show, "Chespirito." His prolificity earned him the nickname "Chespirito," from the Spanish phonetic pronunciation of Shakespeare - "Chespir" - combined with "ito," a diminutive commonly used in Mexico that seemed natural for Gomez Bolanos because of his short stature.

Many in Latin American countries lived under US-backed right-wing dictatorships during the height of the show and found the characters' underdog triumphs in the face of repressive authority heroic. The show still airs in reruns in multiple countries in Latin American and on Spanish language television in the United States, though the comedian stopped recording in the 1980s.

"There are writers who pour out words, concepts that sound really important but that basically say nothing," Gomez Bolanos said in a 2005 interview with the Mexican newspaper La Jornada. "I always tried to be as concise as possible, all to try and reach everyone, but especially the simple people, those who needed to be reached more than anyone else."

mkg/lw (Reuters, AFP, AP)