Actor/Comedian Dies After Recent Hospitalization: Antonio Gasalla Was 84

Antonio Gasalla, an Argentine actor, comedian, and theatre director known for his roles in films like Esperando la carroza, has died.

Gasalla passed away on Tuesday, March 18 at the Sanatorio Otamendi in Buenos Aires, where he’d recently been hospitalized for severe pneumonia, according to the Buenos Aires Times. He was 84.

The actor’s passing was confirmed by Buenos Aires’ Multiteatro, which wrote on social media, “The news of Antonio Gasalla’s death closes a page of humor in our country. Our condolences to his brother Carlos and family.”

The Asociación Argentina de Actores y Actrices also announced Gasall’s passing, writing on Facebook, “We bid farewell to actor, author and director Antonio Gasalla, affiliated with our union since 1966. Undisputed reference of humor, creator of characters that form part of Argentine popular culture. Our condolences to their loved ones, hugging them at this time of sorrow.”

Born in Ramos Mejía, Buenos Aires, Argentina on March 9, 1941, per his IMDb profile, Gasalla trained at the Conservatorio de Arte Dramático de Buenos Aires and got his start in the alternative theater scene in the 1960s. He appeared in theatrical shows and coffee concerts such as Help Valentino, Más respeto que soy tu madre, and La mandarina a pedal, and went on to establish himself as a screen actor by the ‘80s.

His TV credits include El palacio de la risa, Gasalla en la tele, and Gasalla en Libertad, which broke ratings records. On the big screen, he brought characters to life in titles such as Clínica con música, Almejas y Mejillones, La tregua, Tiro al aire, and Dos hermanos. He is perhaps best remembered for Esperando la carroza, the 1985 comedy in which he starred as the grandmother Mamá Cora. He brought the character back to life as La Abuela, renamed due to legal reasons, on several seasons of Susana.

Throughout his decades-spanning career, Gasalla took home numerous awards. He won his first Martín Fierro award in 1989, and took home the Gold statuette in 1995. In 2000, the Asociación Argentina de Actores and the Senado de la Nación awarded him the Premio Podestá award. In 2023, he was honored with the Martín Fierro Lifetime Achievement award.

The renowned actor’s health had been in decline in recent years. In 2020, he was diagnosed with senile dementia. In recent months, he’d endured several hospitalizations, including a two-week hospitalization in June 2024 for pneumonia. He was again hospitalized in February before being hospitalized at the Otamendi Sanatorium beginning on March 5 due to dehydration and a drop in red blood cells. His brother later revealed that Gasalla’s health had worsened and that he could not walk.