Cuban actor and broadcaster Ronny Mayo passed away unexpectedly this week, just days after finishing the recording of his latest project, the radio series "Mis muchachos Los Saíz."
The news sparked numerous reactions among actors, directors, and friends, several of whom noted that Mayo had continued working almost until his last days.
The cause of his/her death has not been publicly disclosed.
One of the most moving farewells was that of actress Yaneisy Sánchez, who shared that she had spoken with him just a day prior.
"I didn't know you were so ill. I spoke to you yesterday, and you only mentioned having a fever," she wrote.
The actress Tamara Castellanos recalled that they had been working together just a week before.
"Just a week ago, we recorded the final chapter of your novel about the Saíz brothers," he lamented.
It referred to "My Boys Los Saíz", a radio production created as a tribute for the 40th anniversary of the Hermanos Saíz Association, which ultimately became one of Mayo's final works.
Actor, announcer, and caretaker to support his family
Her death also brought to light a much lesser-known reality of her life.
The director Manuel Ramírez Heras revealed in his farewell that Mayo had to look for other jobs because his income as an actor was insufficient to support his family.
"I work as a night custodian and at a micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise because what I earn as an actor isn’t enough to support my family," Mayo had confessed, as the director recalled.
Ramírez Heras concluded his tribute with a reflection on the circumstances in which the artist lived
"With that pain, he left us; with that truth that tormented him, and yet, what a great actor!"
Another colleague, Geoberti Jiménez, connected the experience of May with the economic difficulties faced by many artists in Cuba.
"Life is hitting us hard. Many of us are overwhelmed by the fact that what we do isn't helping us financially," he wrote.
A journey marked by radio
Mayo began his artistic training in 1994 when he entered the "Carlos Moctezuma" Acting Seminar, taught by the instructors Raúl Eguren and Pedro Ángel Vera from the Artistic Talent of the ICRT, in the building located at Mazón and San Miguel, the current headquarters of Canal Habana.
Although he appeared in television productions such as "Tras la huella" and "El que debe vivir," it was in radio where he developed much of his professional career. He was also associated with the group Actuar Caricatos.
His passing occurs just a few days after another loss for Cuban radio. On September 14, Guillermo Rivero de La Rosa passed away, a renowned announcer with over three decades of experience and the voice of the program "Cuba Tonight" on Radio Taíno.
In his farewell to Mayo, his friend and colleague Nevalis Quintana Fernández summed up the surprise and sorrow caused by his death.
"I do not know what caused this brutal farewell when, despite the terrible circumstances we lived in, we were enjoying dreams and youth," he wrote.
Ronny Mayo passed away just days after last standing in front of a microphone, while balancing his artistic vocation with other jobs to support his family.
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