MEXICO-CHESPIRITO/FANS Fans gather to bid final farewell to beloved Mexican actor 'Chespirito'

Record ID: 278223

  • Title: MEXICO-CHESPIRITO/FANS Fans gather to bid final farewell to beloved Mexican actor 'Chespirito'
  • Date: 30th November 2014
  • Summary: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (NOVEMBER 30, 2014) (REUTERS) FANS GATHERING OUTSIDE AZTECA STADIUM CLOSE UP OF SIGN THAT READS 'AZTECA STADIUM' VARIOUS OF FANS CHANTING THE NAME OF ONE OF ROBERTO GOMEZ BOLANOS' CHARACTERS, "EL CHAVO" VARIOUS OF FANS GATHERED OUTSIDE STADIUM VIEW OF BALLOONS WITH IMAGE OF ANOTHER CHARACTER "CHESPIRITO" (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FAN MYRIAM MORALES SAYING "
  • Embargoed: 15th December 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Mexico
  • Country: Mexico
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAAAU3DDIXUV82IONVJJ5ZASH4J
  • Story Text: Thousands of fans began arriving to Mexico City's Azteca stadium on Sunday (November 30) to bid farewell to Mexican actor and screenwriter Roberto Gomez Bolanos, one of Latin America's most beloved comedians, whose slapstick acts charmed fans from Spain to Argentina for over four decades.
    Gomez Bolanos died on Friday at the age 85 at his home in the seaside resort of Cancun.
    Wake services are being held for the beloved actor at Mexico City's Azetca stadium in Mexico City as authorities expect thousands to turn out.
    Several fans told Reuters why Gomez Bolanos was loved by so many.
    "He was a great writer. He was a person who was dedicated to finding beautiful things for children and finding the nice parts of childhood that included values and efforts," said Myriam Morales, a fan.
    "Chespirito was very important in Brazil for all generations and that's why I had to come here today. Chespirito is a legend and he is beautiful and he is our idol and he's the best," said Carlet Cardoso, a tourist from Brazil.
    Known as "Chespirito," a word play on 'Little Shakespeare' for his diminutive stature and his prolific scripts, Gomez Bolanos created some of the region's most enduring comic characters.
    His show "El Chavo del Ocho," about a naive kid from a poor neighbourhood who hid inside a barrel, is widely viewed as the catalyst that helped transform Televisa into a major international company.
    Gomez Bolanos was also known for his character "El Chapulin Colorado" (The Red Grasshopper), a clumsy hero in a red overall and yellow trunks which inspired Bumblebee Man, the Spanish-speaking character from the American animated sitcom The Simpsons.
    The comedian stopped recording material in the 1980s, but his shows are still aired regularly today.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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