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Who was Cepillín? TV clown who gave Salma Hayek early career break dies at 75: ‘Thank you for all the memories’

Mexican-born Ricardo González Gutiérrez aka Cepillín was a big part of many childhoods as his music would be played across birthday parties

One of Latin-America’s most popular clowns Cepillín has died at the age of 75. He died on Sunday, March 8 due to complications from spine surgery including cardiac complications and pneumonia, as reported by multiple publications, however, it was his son who first confirmed his demise.

According to Houston Chronicle, Cepillín, whose real name was Ricardo González Gutiérrez, was hospitalized late last month after injuring his back during an accident at home. He had been recently diagnosed with spinal cancer. Cepillín’s son took to Facebook and said, “Les pido a todos sus oraciones para mi papá, which translates to "I'm asking for all of your prayers for my father." Cepillín was born in Monterrey, Mexico and he was a popular personality on Spanish television for decades. For Mexicans, he was a big part of their childhood as his music would be played across birthday parties.

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Who was Cepillín?

Ricardo González was born on February 7, 1946, in Monterrey, Nuevo León. Cepillín had his own children’s television show called ‘El Show de Cepillin’ which combined education and comedy. The show also brought Hollywood stars as guests on different occasions. The late clown also appeared in several films and he is also known for giving singer Yuri and actress Salma Hayek a break early in their careers.

The much-loved clown was also a Grammy-nominated singer. He had released 25 albums and sold millions of copies worldwide. His songs usually focused on children. Before Cepillín got famous on the small screen, he used to be a children’s dentist and it is known that in order to keep children from getting scared, he painted his face like a clown. His stage name roughly translates to “tiny toothbrush.” 

 ‘If you don’t know who Cepillin was then you’re not Mexican enough’

As soon as the news of Cepillín passing away hit the Internet, many social media users rushed to Twitter to share their memories of the clown along with the condolences. Getting nostalgic, one user stated, “Man i remember waking up hearing #Cepillin on my birthday every year on my birthday, now i can't believe that the man who would sing me and many other children has passed. Descanse en paz cepillin.” Another posted, “R.I.P to a legend that songs played at all the Mexican bdays R.I.P the guy who made my childhood a living dream R.I.P to the iconic mexican clown who we all love cepillin.” 

One added, “If you don’t know who Cepillin was then you’re not Mexican enough.” The next one said, “I can’t believe Cepillín passed away bro. RIP THE MAN WHO MADE MY CHILDHOOD MEMORIES SO GREAT.” Another shared, “I deada** feel bad for everyone who didn’t grow up w Cepillin.” One user said, “I don’t know much about Cepillín, only that somehow if you say his name among Mexicans, we all know who he is Clown face . #RIP #QEPD”  Another concluded, "He was and still is a part of my life as I grew up with this guy! He made me laugh with his high-pitch vocals in order to make everyone smile! So very sad to hear of his untimely passing, the whole world lost a great one today of all days. #Cepillin #RIPCepillin”