Mexico is in shock after the death of Xavier Lopez Rodriguez, better known as Chabelo, at the age of 88.
But where did his curious nickname come from? And there are nicknames that are here to stay, for example, the one given to the actor and comedian with which he was immortalized in the artistic environment.
It all began when Chabelo, born in Chicago Illinois on February 17, 1935, arrived in Mexico at a very young age in Leon, Guanajuato, and at the age of 9 he moved with his family to Mexico City.
At that same time, one of his neighbors, who was a radio producer, invited him to work at Televicentro.
Among the tasks that the young Chabelo performed were production assistance, handling the camera or even working as floor manager.
The environment in which he developed motivated him to dedicate himself to acting and to study drama for four years.
Origin of Chabelo's nickname
Xavier Lopez Rodriguez's first acting jobs were as a replacement for actors who were absent from TV shows.
His moment of fame came when Ramiro Gamboa, better known as "Tio Gamboin" invited him to participate in one of the broadcasts of the program "Carrusel musical", which he hosted.
In the episode, he was to play a boy named Chabelo, and thus, replace an actor who had been absent.
After accepting and appearing in the program, where he did not hide his nerves, the production began to call him Chabelo, a nickname that catapulted him to posterity. This gave way to several projects, including soap operas, movies and even comedy shows.
One of the actor's most important projects came in 1967, with the program "En Familia con Chabelo" (In the Family with Chabelo), in which he provided entertainment and fun through contests.
The program, aimed particularly at children, was gaining acceptance among the public to the point of remaining on the air for 48 years, being the longest-running program on Mexican television.
The name Chabelo has come to be used for marketing purposes as a brand of footwear for children, which has been well accepted by the public to this day.
The character of Chabelo has defined Xavier Lopez's career to such an extent that he is recognized more by his stage name than by his first name.
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