Chuy Bravo, of Chelsea Lately fame, has died at 63
Chuy Bravo, an actor best known for starring as Chelsea Handler’s sidekick on her E! show, Chelsea Lately, has died at the age of 63. TMZ reported that Bravo, whose real name was Jesús Melgoza, died on Sunday, December 15th, while visiting family members in Mexico City. He came down with a stomach ache the day before and was rushed to the hospital, where he later died.
TMZ reports that the cause of Bravo’s death is still unclear. His family held a service for him in Mexico, where he was born before migrating to the U.S. at the age of 15.
Bravo starred alongside Handler on the late night talk show for seven years, and the two were famously close—she posted a birthday tribute to him on Instagram just a week before his passing—and he was an actor prior to his time on Chelsea Lately. He appeared on the big screen in movies like The Honeymooners and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. But his role alongside Handler (of course, as her “little nugget”) is arguably his most notable and beloved.
After news of his death broke, Handler posted a sweet photo collage in his honor, and it’ll definitely hit Chelsea Lately fans right in the feels.
In her caption, Handler wrote, "I loved this nugget in a big way, and I took great pleasure in how many people loved him as much as I did and do." She added that Bravo "gave us so much laughter and I’ll never forget the sound of his laughter coming from his office into mine," joking about his "shoe rack with all his children-sized shoes."
Handler also took to the comments section of her post to thank followers for “all your kind messages and for all your love for Chuy.” She expressed that he “didn’t suffer and he wasn’t in any prolonged pain,” revealing that she’d spoken to him on the phone for his birthday a week before he died.
"The most important thing is that he didn’t know he was sick, and he didn’t suffer," she wrote. "Chuy touched so many and brought joy and happiness to everyone who met him, so that is all of ours and I don’t believe in death being the end anymore. He is still around all of us. Just not that perfect little/big body anymore."
She also posted a series of videos to her Instagram Stories on Monday, December 16th, again thanking fans for their love and support and calling Bravo a “big spark of joy.”
Back in 2012, Bravo told Latina magazine that he’d been treated for prostate cancer and was also a recovering alcoholic. He launched The Little Nugget Foundation to help support those battling alcohol addiction in his hometown in Mexico, adding, “I have been through a lot in my life, but I’ve overcome my struggles and now I’m finally living my life.”
Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time—we will miss his laugh and spirit so much.