What awful news to share…
Chuy Bravo, the longtime on-camera sidekick and hype man for Chelsea Handler on her successful late night TV talk show Chelsea Lately, has passed away. He was 63 years old.
Related: Chelsea’s Cherished Dog Chunk Passes Away
According to TMZ, Bravo was hospitalized on Saturday in Mexico City, where he’d been back home visiting family for the past month or so. Family members say he came down with a stomach ache on Saturday night, and had to be rushed to the hospital. There, he unexpectedly passed away. His cause of death is unclear.
Born in Mexico, Bravo emigrated to the US when he was just 15, eventually getting involved with Hollywood and the entertainment industry years later. He starred in a wide variety of films, including The Rundown, The Sex Trip, Tiptoes, Austin Powers in Goldemmber, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, and The Honeymooners, in addition to TV work and other successes.
His biggest break, and his best known role by far, came as Handler’s second-in-command on her popular E! talk show, which ran from 2007 to 2014. In total, Bravo appeared on more than 1,000 episodes of Chelsea Lately, often bringing Chelsea to tears with laughter from one of his many comments, gags, or running jokes.
Hours ago, the TV host and comedian commented on her longtime friend and co-star’s death, writing a touching message on Instagram about her time with him — both personally and professionally (below):
“I loved this nugget in a big way, and I took great pleasure in how many people loved him as much as I did and do. @chuybravo gave us so much laughter and I’ll never forget the sound of his laughter coming from his office into mine. Or his ‘business calls’ with his ‘business manager,’ or his shoe rack with all his children-sized shoes. I’ll never forget him coming to Christmas with my family one year in the Florida keys, and when my niece who was 5 or 6 at the time — saw him, she ran in the other direction saying she was scared. My sister and I were mortified and were apologizing to Chuy, who told us, ‘it’s ok, lots of little kids get scared when they see big kids coming their way.’ I love you, Chuy!”
So funny… there’s clearly so much love and appreciation there.
She added a photo collage of old pics of the two of them working together, as well (below):
Awwww.
Chuy did so many hilarious, iconic, and memorable things during his time on Chelsea Lately. What a talk show legend!
Related: Chuy Seriously Did A Little Bit Of Everything In His Wild Career!
Sadly, his 63rd birthday just happened to be last week, too — and Handler captured that moment as well, with a warm, sweet (and funny) message about her longtime co-star:
So, so sad.
Bravo revealed back in 2012 that he’d previously survived prostate cancer, and he was also a recovering alcoholic. The longtime actor was born with dwarfism, and stood at 4’3″.
It’s impossible to think of Chelsea Lately and not think of Chuy Bravo, let alone all the other films and shows he appeared in during his long career. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and loved ones. So, so sad.
R.I.P., Chuy.
[Image via B. Dowling/WENN]
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