Mexican Children’s Entertainer, Chabelo, Dies at 88

Mexico’s President Offers Condolences

Mexican children’s entertainer Xavier López, better known by his stage name Chabelo, has died at 88, Mexico’s president has said.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador tweeted that his eldest son “woke up early to see him [on television] more than 40 years ago”.

Famed for Sunday Variety Show

López’s best-known work, the Sunday variety show En Familia con Chabelo, ran for 48 years, from 1967 to 2015.

The comic, who was no relation to the president, usually performed dressed as a child, helping found a genre that became a staple for decades on Mexican television. He performed in a child’s raspy squeak throughout his career.

American-born Performer

A US citizen – he was born in Chicago to Mexican parents – López returned to Mexico with his family at a young age and trained as a doctor. But he found his calling in acting.

Sudden Death From Illness

The comic’s family wrote on his fan page that López died suddenly of “abdominal complications”.

He is survived by his wife and several children.

Credit: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/25/mexican-childrens-entertainer-chabelo-dies

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