Roberto Gómez Bolaños, the iconic Mexican comedian best known as “Chespirito,” has died. He was 85.

Roberto Gómez Bolaños Dies

Gómez Bolaños died on Friday in Cancún, Mexico after suffering a cardiac arrest, according to Univision. His wife and former costar Florinda Meza was at his side at his passing.

“Mexico has lost an icon whose work has transcended generations and borders,” Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto tweeted.

Gómez Bolaños was best known for starring on Latin American children’s shows El Chavo del Ocho and El Chapulín Colorado. The programs were also popular with adults, achieving a cultural relevance similar to that of The Simpsons in the United States, according to The Huffington Post. On a regular basis, El Chavo del Ocho would attract 111 million viewers per episode, a staggering number.

El Chavo del Ocho has been dubbed in 50 languages and has been watched in Brazil, Thailand and Russia, according to Televisa.

Gómez Bolaños, who was born in 1929, initially studied to become an engineer, but set his sights on the entertainment industry in the 50s and soon began writing for TV and radio shows, and penned screenplays. By the late 60s and early 70s, he’d written his own shows.

“There are writers who pour out words, concepts that sound really important but that basically say nothing,” Gómez Bolaños told Mexican newspaper La Jornadad in 2005. “I always tried to be as concise as possible, all to try and reach everyone, but especially the simple people, those who needed to be reached more than anyone else.”

Gómez Bolaños is survived by his wife and six children from a previous marriage.