Celmira Luzardo Dies: Colombian Actress From ‘Yo Soy Betty La Fea’ Dead At 61

Celmira Luzardo, the Colombian actress best remembered for her role in "Yo Soy Betty La Fea," the Colombian predecessor to "Ugly Betty," died on Wednesday of respiratory failure, according to Univision. Actors and colleagues have mourned the death of this celebrated actress on social media. "We wake to the sad news of the death of the great actress Celmira Luzardo, our condolences for this great loss," wrote Artistas Colombianos on Twitter.

Celmira Luzardo is best remembered for her work on "Yo Soy Betty La Fea," where she played the role of Catalina Angel, however, she had a long career in Colombian film and TV. Her first role came in 1971 when she starred in the telenovela "Volveras a Mis Brazos." She also starrred in shows like "La Herencia," "La Tregua," "Historia de Dos Hermanos," "Francisco el Matemático" and "La Mujer del Presidente." The actress had retired some years ago and was living on the island of San Andres.

Luzardo was the youngest in a family of actors. She was also highly recognized for her incredible international experience, studying at several schools abroad: she studied editing and production ath the The National Film Institute in London as well as studying film at the Centro Sperimentali di Cinematografia, in Italy. She worked on several films with director Gustavo Nieto including "Esposos en Vacaciones', and later on "Colombian Connection." She also wrote scripts for Television.