These articles are not easy ones to write and we can never include everyone who has passed. But we wanted to acknowledge a few for their talents they shared with us.
Pedro Armendáriz Jr., well-known character actor, dies at 71
The Mexican born character actor was known quite well here in the U.S.A. as well as back home in Mexico. He acted in more than 100 films, like Old Gringo, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, The Legend of Zorro, and The Crime of Father Amaro, just to mention a few. His father Armendariz Sr. was part of the “golden age” of Mexican films in the 1940s and 50s. And he also acted with John Wayne and Sean Connery in From Russia with Love.
Joe Arroyo, Colombian Salsero Great, dies at 55
He was a true salsa star and composer. Arroyo rose to prominence during the Colombian salsa explosion of the 1970s. Alvaro José Arroyo, died the morning of July 26 in Barranquilla, Colombia. Check out some of Joe’s work here.
Gil Bernal, Tenor Sax Great, dies at 80
Gil was a local boy, born in Watts in 1931. A Los Angeles jazz musician, who began his career working with the likes of Lionel Hampton in 1950, played and collaborated with everyone from Ray Charles to Quincy Jones. He had his own jazz combo with trumpeter Shorty Rogers and drummer Shelley Manne during the 50s. Along with being a sax player, he was also quite a singer.
Capulina passes away, and an era ends at 85
They never made a film in English; they haven’t made a new movie together in decades. But for whole generations of Latinos around the world, Viruta y Capulina were a major part of their lives. Yes, they began as Spanish-language versions of Laurel and Hardy, but they became much more. Check out our post on Gaspar Hernaine Pérez, aka Capulina here.
Facundo Cabral, Murdered in an Ambush, he was 74
The Argentine singer-songwriter was a voice against military dictatorships in Latin America since the 1970s. His car was ambushed on the way to the airport in Guatemala City. Facundo has influenced so many artists, like René Pérez (Calle 13), Ricky Martin, Alejandro Sanz and many others. Listen to Facundo’s No soy de aqui, ni soy de alla here.
Annette Charles, AKA ‘Cha Cha’ Digregorio in Grease, dies at 63
Best known for her role in Grease, she also made several appearances on television (Magnum, P.I., The Bionic Woman, Barnaby Jones). Born Annette Cardona in Los Angeles, she received a masters degree from NYU School of Social Work in 2001. And she taught speech and communication at California State University, Northridge.
Linda Christian (Blanca Rosa Welter) dies at 87
Born in Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Because of her father’s job, she traveled a lot as a child and learned to speak seven different languages. She settle in Los Angeles and became a Hollywood starlet of the 1940s and ’50s. She was in Johnny Weissmuller’s last Tarzan movie and made the first adaptation of a James Bond novel, a television adaptation of Casino Royale. But her big fame came, when she married fellow heartthrob Tyrone Power.
Vic Dunlop, The Standup Comic dies at 62
He launched his career in Los Angeles in the early 1970s with the improv group Natural Gas. He starred on the ABC game show Make Me Laugh. And he co-wrote and starred in the 1993 film Breakfast of Aliens. We found a clip of Vic at work, check it out here.
Manuel Galbán, Cuban Guitarist, Dies at 80
The legendary Cuban guitarist, pianist, and arranger was part of the legendary vocal group Los Zafiros. And decades later he worked with Ry Cooder and the Buena Vista Social Club. He passed at his home in Havana, Cuba of cardiac arrest. You can sample some of his work here.
Greg Giraldo, A life cut too short, he was 44
Giraldo, a Columbia University grad and a Harvard-educated lawyer before becoming a stand-up comic, had several short-lived projects in the ’90s, including an ABC sitcom called Common Law and a Comedy Central pilot, The Greg Giraldo Show. In the 2000s, his appearances on The Howard Stern Show and his wonderful sets on the Comedy Central Roasts really got him noticed. Just for laughs, check out Giraldo’s standup here.
Gilbert “Magu” Lujan, An Extraordinary Life ends at 70
He was a Los Angeles based artist. A founding member of Los Four, a Chicano art collective that included artists Carlos Almaraz, Frank Romero and Beto de la Rocha. Check out our tribute to Magu here.
Francesco Quinn, Collapsed while on a walk with his son, he was 48
The son of legendary actor Anthony Quinn, was a very talented actor himself, he was in Platoon, he did some TV shows like The Shield, 24 and The Glades. He did roles here in the U.S. and in Europe. Francesco will be missed greatly. His brother Lorenzo Quinn is planning on building a memorial to Francesco at the top of Las Flores in Malibu, Ca.
Carlos Trillo, Argentinean comics writer, dies at 68
Trillo’s career spans almost 50 years. He co-created the series CyberSix with Carlos Meglia. And through another collaboration, he won the Angouleme Prize for best writer in 1999 for La grande arnaque. He passed away while on a family vacation in London.
