More than a month after Chuy Bravo passed away suddenly at the age of 63, friends and colleagues of the Chelsea Lately personality gathered together to celebrate his life and legacy. Colleague Heather McDonald shared a group photo from the celebration of life on Instagram Monday, opening up about how special Bravo was to everyone he met.
“Last night we celebrated #Chuy Bravo’s life with his family, close friends and as many people from the Chelsea Lately days that could make it,” she wrote. “We all shared hilarious and sweet stories about him. We laughed and cried. What an incredible life he lead especially coming from so many hardships. #ripchuy.”
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Chris Franjola added on his Instagram, “Tonight we celebrated the life of Chuy Bravo and it was perfect. Chuy and all of the people in this picture have meant so much to me and it was great to all be together again. I’m glad Chuy’s family was there to see how much he has touched all of our lives & we laughed a lot. Thanks Chuy.”
Bravo passed away on Dec. 14 following what was later determined to be a heart attack.
“On Saturday, December 14 at approximately 1:30 p.m., Bravo was rushed to the emergency room due to a Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage (GI Bleed.)” his rep said in a statement to E! News at the time. “After complications he suffered an Acute Myocardial Infarction that led to his passing.”
“Bravo’s funeral services took place today and will be cremated,” the statement continued. “His family has confirmed he will be brought back to Los Angeles (no date has been set) for a memorial service.”
Handler also paid tribute to her longtime friend and partner on the show shortly after his passing.
“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 wrote after his death. “[Chuy Bravo] gave us so much laughter and I’ll never forget the sound of his laughter coming from his office into mine. Or his ‘business calls’ with his ‘business manager,’ or his shoe rack with all his children-sized shoes. I’ll never forget him coming to Christmas with my family one year in the Florida keys, and when my niece who was 5 or 6 at the time – saw him, she ran in the other direction saying she was scared. My sister and I were mortified and were apologizing to Chuy, who told us, ‘it’s ok, lots of little kids get scared when they see big kids coming their way.’ I love you, Chuy!”
Photo credit: David Livingston, Getty
