Mexican Kid's Comic Xavier López, ‘Chabelo,' Dies at 88
His best-known work, the Sunday variety show “En Familia con Chabelo”, ran for an astonishing 48 years from 1967 to 2015.
Victor Chavez/WireImage via Getty
Xavier Lopez, known as “Chabelo,” receives an award during the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards Mexico 2016 at Auditorio Nacional on August 20, 2016 in Mexico City.
Xavier López, a Mexican children’s comic better known by his stage name “Chabelo,” has died at 88, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador wrote Saturday.
López's best-known work, the Sunday variety show “En Familia con Chabelo”, ran for an astonishing 48 years from 1967 to 2015.
The Mexican president wrote in his Twitter account that his own eldest son, José Ramon, “woke up early to see him (on television) more than 40 years ago.”
López, who was no relation to the president, usually performed dressed in kid’s clothing well into his 80s. He helped found a genre of adult comics dressed as kids that became a staple for decades on Mexican television.
His longevity — he performed in a child's raspy squeak throughout his career — led to joking speculation he would outlive everyone else in show business.
A U.S. 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 on abdominal complications.”
He was survived by several children and his wife. There was no immediate information on funeral plans.
AP Photo/Charles Harrity
Rosalynn Carter, the wife of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, on Dec. 3, 1976. Rosalynn Carter died Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. She was 96.
Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
Head coach Bobby Knight of the Indiana Hoosiers looks during a first round NCAA Tournament basketball game against the Oklahoma Sooners on March 12, 1998. Knight died on Nov. 1, 2023.
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
In this March 15, 2017, file photo, Matthew Perry arrives at a special screening of “The Kennedys – After Camelot” at The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, California. The beloved actor died at 54 on Oct. 28. 2023.
Earl Gibson III/WireImage
File. Richard Roundtree poses for a photo at the ICON MANN’s 4th Annual Power 50 Dinner Mr. C Beverly Hills on Feb. 26, 2016. Roundtree died on Oct. 24, 2023.
Paul Archuleta/Getty Images
Suzanne Somers on Feb. 19, 2020 in Burbank, Calif. Somers died on Oct. 15, 2023.
Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for TCM
Piper Laurie attends a screening on April 24, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Laurie died on Oct. 14, 2023.
AlberE. Rodriguez/WireImage
Burt Young poses during the “Rocky Balboa” World Premiere. Young died on Oct. 8, 2023.
Dylan Buell/Getty Images
Dick Butkus cheers before the NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field on Jan. 6, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. Butkus died on Oct. 5, 2023.
Adam Glanzman/Getty Images
Tim Wakefield looks on before a game against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on Aug. 19, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. Wakefield died on Oct. 1, 2023.
Victor Chavez/WireImage via Getty
Xavier Lopez, known as “Chabelo,” died at 88 in Mexico. His best-known work, the Sunday variety show “En Familia con Chabelo,” ran for an astonishing 48 years from 1967 to 2015.
Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
Actor and 60s bombshell Raquel Welch has died after a brief illness, according to her management company. She was known for a career that spanned five decades, which included roles in "Fantastic Voyage," "Myra Breckinridge" and "The Three Musketeers." She was 82.
Singer-songwriter David Crosby, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice — for his work with The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash — died Jan. 19, 2023. He was 81.
AP
Robbie Knievel, the daredevil son of Evel Knievel, died Jan. 13, 2023, in Reno, Nevada. He was 60.
Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of rock 'n' roll legend Elvis Presley, died Jan. 12, 2023, after being hospitalized for a medical emergency. She was 54.
CBS via Getty Images
Charles Kimbrough, a Tony- and Emmy-nominated actor who played a straight-laced news anchor opposite Candice Bergen on “Murphy Brown,” died Jan. 11 in Culver City, California. He was 86.
Getty Images
Jeff Beck, a guitar virtuoso who pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll, died Jan. 11, 2023. He was 78.
Paulo Oliveira / DPI / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Ken Block, American motorsport legend and YouTube star, died in a snowmobile accident in Utah on Jan. 3, 2023. He was 55.
