Luis Raúl Dies: Famed Puerto Rican Comedian Dead At 51 From Bilateral Pneumonia

It’s a sad day for Latino entertainment. Famed Puerto Rican comedian Luis Raúl died this morning after being hospitalized for 20 days following a bilateral pneumonia. Last week he agreed to be intubated to speed his recovery, but his condition worsened yesterday due to kidney failure and complications in his cardiac and respiratory systems. Ever since December, the comedian had experienced breathing problems that worsened as he attended personal and professional commitments in New York and Los Angeles. Luis Raúl attributed it to the cold season.

With his passing, Spanish comedy loses one of its greatest. Luis Raúl was known for his stand-up comedy shows and for his various characters. He was also the host of Univision's talk and variety show "Anda Pa'l Cara" from 2001 to 2003 and Telemundo's game show "Pa' Que Te Lo Goces" in 2006. Although he started as an actor, his comedy sketches have been widely popular amongst Latinos. He died at the peek of his career, he had just performed his show called “Qué Ojones,” setting new comedic bars to Hispanic comedians that only perform in Spanish, and proving that being in comedy is a serious business.

He broke records with “Qué Ojones,” presenting the biggest stand-up show in Spanish to date, at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, also known as "El Coliseo de Puerto Rico" in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with a capacity of 17,000. "For the first time I'm in a bigger venue, a coliseum. I stood in the middle of it and it's gigantic! I'm the first comedian to go and perform there. It's going to be a 360 show, the stage will be in the middle, so I will be surrounded by my people. That will be a whole new experience,” he told Latin Times at the time.

Luis Raúl added that he always says what he feels and how he feels it and he doesn't make jokes, he tells stories. I remember him adding that comedy is a very serious business, and just like everything you’re passionate about, it comes with a good dose of nerves. "The day I don't feel nervous it will mean that I'm not caring enough. That day I'll quit,” he said. Luis Raúl died doing what he loved, working hard, caring enough and setting new standards in Spanish comedy. His legacy will live forever.