Mexican children’s entertainer Chabelo dies aged 88
The 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”.
López’s best-known work, the Sunday variety show En Familia con Chabelo, ran for 48 years, from 1967 to 2015.
‘Chabelo’ usually performed dressed as a child. Photograph: Jam Media/LatinContent/Getty Images
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.
Abrazo a familiares y amigos por el fallecimiento de Xavier López "Chabelo". Cómo olvidar que mi hijo mayor se despertaba temprano para verlo hace más de 40 años.
— Andrés Manuel (@lopezobrador_) March 25, 2023
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.
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.
This article was amended on 25 March 2023 to replace the main image, which in an earlier version did not show Chabelo.