Rubén Aguirre Dead: Actor Known As 'Profesor Jirafales' Dies From Complications With Pneumonia

Rubén Aguirre, who was known for his role as “Profesor Jirafales” in “El Chavo del 8,” has passed away this morning, his dear friend Edgar Vivar, who played “Señor Barriga,” confirmed on Twitter. He was 82. “My favorite professor rests in peace now,” Vivar wrote. "Today my good friend Rubén Aguirre left this earth. I will miss you very much.”

In early June, Consuelo de los Reyes, Aguirre’s wife, had mentioned on a TV show that her husband was in serious condition. “From one day to another he lost all his strength and now he’s not moving,” de los Reyes said at the time. “He can’t even roll on the bed and is not talking as much. Diabetes has him like that.”

However, his daughter, Verónica Aguirre confirmed to CNN en Español that her father passed away from complications with pneumonia. He had been hospitalized in May, but was released on June 7 to rest at home in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where he took his last breath.

Aguirre was born in Saltillo, Coahuila on June 15, 1934. He began his acting career in Monterrey, working with a famous clown named “Pipo.” From there, he ventured on to Mexico City, where he worked at Televisión Independiente de Mexico, a national television network that operated until 1973 when it merged with Telesistema Mexicano to form Televisa. He oversaw several television scripts to see which ones would make good shows, and that was how he met Roberto Gómez Bolaños, known as Chespirito, the mastermind behind “El Chavo del 8” and “El Chapulín Colorado.”

Chespirito noticed Aguirre’s tall, skinny figure and asked him to play Profesor Jirafales on the show he was developing, called “El Chavo del 8.” The name “Jirafales” came from from “jirafa,” which means “giraffe” in Spanish. Aguirre agreed. He was good friends with Carlos Villagrán, whom he recommended for the role of Quico.

After “El Chavo,” Aguirre moved to Argentina, where he opened a circus with the name Profesor Jirafales. He returned to Mexico in 2003 and started working as an announcer at game shows.