Mexican actor Xavier López Rodriguez, who played the iconic character Chabelo on television for nearly five decades, died Saturday, his official Twitter announced. He was 88.
“This is a very sad morning, Xavier Lopez Chabelo, father, brother and husband has left us suddenly, due to abdominal complications,” the tweet read via Google Translate.
Shortly after, another tweet was posted and read, “With a torn soul and knowing that many and many people have loved him for many years and that they will feel his departure, we ask you to pray for his rest and give us the opportunity to spend in peace the mourning that overwhelms our entire family. Lopez Miranda Family.”
López was the host on the children’s game show “En Familia Con Chabelo” (“Family Time With Chabelo”). The program aired weekly on Sunday for nearly 45 years and made the Guinness Book of Records for its extensive broadcast run.
He was born in Chicago, Illinois, but López’s family moved back to Mexico where he and his sisters were raised, and he was trained as a doctor. He later found his calling in acting.
López was survived by several children and his wife.
