Xavier Ortiz , a former member of Mexican pop group Garibaldi, has died at the age 48.
His Garibaldi bandmate, Sergio Mayer, tweeted the tragic news of his death on Monday. Just a few hours later, Mexican newspaper Reforma reported that Ortiz died by suicide on Monday afternoon at his home in Guadalajara, Jalisco.
Ortiz married his bandmate, Patricia Manterola, in 1999 after 10 years of dating. The couple was married for five years before divorcing.
Manterola, who now works as both an actress and singer, shared a touching tribute to her ex-husband on Monday.
“This is how I‘m going to remember you dear Xavi, with that contagious, beautiful smile that stuck on to everyone who had the pleasure of crossing your path,” the star wrote. ”You had a noble and sensitive heart, you had that want to help anyone who asked for ti, you had those crystalline eyes that couldn’t hide your feelings, you had that immense love for your son.”
“Now you‘re in the arms of your beautiful mother whom you missed so much,” she continued. ”From here, I send a tight, tight hug to your family ... Have a good trip back home dear Xavi! Rest in Peace.”
After his divorce from Manterola, Ortiz married Carisa de Leon, with whom he shares one 8-year-old son.
Ortiz’s sister, Olga Ortiz Ramirez, also shared the heartbreaking news, tweeting: “With deep sadness and great pain, I report the death of my dear brother and great colleague of the Garibaldi Group and actor, Xavier Ortiz.”
“My sincere condolences to his family, friends, and the artistic community,” she concluded.
Just a few months before his death, Ortiz revealed in an interview with Ventaneando that he was going through some financial troubles and started selling face masks and hand sanitizer at the start of the pandemic.
“It‘s complicated. Thank God I have some savings but you see your account go down every month and you feel the nerves start to flow,” he revealed back in April. ”I am going through a hard time. The truth is that I am. I‘ve cried and have gotten upset for some decisions I’ve made,” He concluded, ”What can I do?”
Ortiz revealed in the same interview that he hadn‘t been able to see his son due to quarantine.
“It makes me really sad because I have to be strong and act, because just seeing him on screen makes me break,” the singer revealed.
Xavier Ortiz was one of the original members of Garibaldi, whose lineup comprised of Ortiz, Mayer, his ex-wife Paty Manterola, Charlie López, Pilar Montenegro, Luisa Fernanda Lozano, Katia Llamos and Victor Noriega.
