Generations of Latin Americans Say Goodbye to Comedian ‘Chespirito’ · Global Voices
Luis Carlos Diaz

Roberto Gómez Bolaño as El Chavo del Ocho. Image published under a Creative Commons license.
Roberto Gómez Bolaños, known as “Chespirito” (or “little Shakespeare”), one of the most beloved comedians in Latin America, died November 28 in Mexico at the age of 85.
Chespirito was one of the most successful producers in Mexico. He started his career as creative producer in advertisement, and then worked as a script writer for radio and film.
Later, after the 1970s, he became a producer, actor and director of his own show. There, he created numerous characters which circulated around the world and entered Latin America's popular culture. The first character to became famous from his show was Latin American hero “El Chapulín Colorado,” a short and clumsy superhero armed with a plastic hammer (el Chipote Chillón), who resolved every problem because he had everything “coldly calculated.”
In this universe of characters, the letters CH were a personal signature. Later, Chespirito recreated a humble neighborhood and in it gave life to El Chavo, an 8-year-old orphan who shared with his neighbors, went to school and dreamed about a simple “torta” (sandwich) of ham. Others characters were El Doctor Chapatín, El Chómpiras and Chaparrón Bonaparte (under the section “Los Chifladitos” or The Little Crazy Ones). His shows were broadcast on Mexican television and in almost every country in Latin America. Even now, 40 years later, Chespirito's shows air in different languages and continents.
For a long time, false rumors about his death circulated on social media due to his deteriorating health since 2009. He experienced a second wave of popularity in the mid-2000s thanks to the cartoons based on his work and later with his Twitter account, which has more than four million followers and receives daily compliments for all his accomplishments.
People, including Mexico's national soccer team, said goodbye to the legend on social media:
Tu legado estará siempre con nosotros. Descanse en Paz Roberto Gómez Bolaños #OrgulloTricolor pic.twitter.com/8S9ovLusPS
— Selección Mexicana (@miseleccionmx) November 28, 2014
Your legacy will always be with us. Rest in peace Roberto Gómez Bolaños
Cristian Fernando shared the most popular characters in a picture:
Murió Roberto Gómez Bolaño. Los personajes de Chespirito en una foto. http://t.co/R49u5rfvS9 pic.twitter.com/wSQO7n3jbe“
— Cristian FernandoBSC (@cristianfer27) November 28, 2014
Roberto Gómez Bolaño has died. Chespirito's characters in one photo.
Eduardo Marín described how much the character Chapulín Colorado is loved:
Aquí queremos más al Chapulín que a Batman. Qué triste noticia, descanse en paz.
— Eduardo Marin (@Ed_Marin) November 28, 2014
Here, we love Chapulin more than Batman. What sad news, rest in peace.
At the same time, Sergio Marentes and Raúl Ramírez summarized Chespirito's legacy:
Murió Roberto Gómez Bolaños, pero Chespirito es inmortal…
— Raúl Ramírez (@isopixel) November 28, 2014
Roberto Gómez Bolaños has died, but Chespirito is immortal.
¿Quién dijo que los inmortales se mueren?
— Épico bicho agónico (@SergioMarentes) November 28, 2014
Who ever said immortals die?