Mexican TV legend 'Chabelo' no more, President Obrador reacts

The man behind Mexico's iconic children's comic 'Chabelo' is no more. Xavier López died at 88 on Saturday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced on Twitter.

López's best-known work, the Sunday variety show En Familia con Chabelo, ran for an astonishing 48 years from 1967 to 2015.

"With a broken soul and knowing that many people have loved him for many years and that they will feel his loss, we ask you to pray for his rest and allow us to mourn peacefully the grief that overwhelms our entire family," López's family said.

The Mexican president wrote on Twitter that his own eldest son, José Ramón, "woke up early to see him (on television) more than 40 years ago."

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"Hugs to family and friends for the death of Xavier López 'Chabelo,'" he wrote. "How can I forget that my eldest son woke up early to see him more than 40 years ago."

Who was Xavier López, Mexico's 'Chabelo'?

Born Xavier López Rodríguez in Chicago, he was active as comic, television presenter and children's music singer for nearly 71 years. López returned to Mexico with his family at a young age and trained as a doctor. However, he found his calling in acting. López was one of the last surviving stars from the 'Golden Age of Mexican Cinema', as he heralded an era of genre-churning comedy.

López is credited to have helped found a genre of adult comics dressed as kids that became a staple for decades on Mexican television.

'Chabelo', the character López played for nearly five decades, is considered the 'friend of all children,'. López starred in some 30 films and worked on countless TV shows.

His longevity — he performed in a child's raspy squeak throughout his career — led to joking speculation he would outlive everyone else in show business.

López's agent, Jessica Nevilley, said he died Saturday morning, and that funeral plans would be announced later.

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