Renato López
| Renato López Uhthoff | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
March 11, 1983 Mexico City |
| Died | November 23, 2016 (aged 33) |
| Cause of death | shot |
| Body discovered | Santa María Mazatla, Jilotzingo municipality, State of Mexico |
| Occupation | Television presenter, Musician |
Renato López Uhthoff was a Mexican television host, actor and musician.
Origins
He was born in 1983 in Mexico City but at an early age his family took him to live in the United States: Los Angeles, Miami and New York - as a result he spoke both Spanish and English fluently. From age 6 he performed in commercials and modeled. He had a small music production company in Los Angeles and a music studio in Mexico City.[1] He was brother to the Swedish singer Denise Lopez.[2] His other siblings were Sebastian "DjZeb" López, Samanta López, Arturo Everitt (photographer in Los Angeles) and Tiana Del Castillo.
Career
He was a guitarist for the rock band The Prom Kings and previously hosted music shows on Mun2, such as El show and Vivo. López had an homonymous TV show on Telehit which started on March 14, 2011.[3]
In 2012 he appeared in the Mexican film El Cielo En Tu Mirada.
After leaving Telehit, on August 2012, he joined E! Entertainment to host the show Zona Trendy.
His interaction with Mexican pop stars included penning songs such as "Si pudiera" for Paty Cantú, and Fuego con fuego for Gloria Trevi. He also starred in Trevi's music video Vestida de azúcar.[1][4]
He had been in a relationship with Swedish transplant to Mexico City, fashion blogger Alexandra Ivanisevic, for seven years.[1]
He was hosting the TV shows E! Latin News on E! Latinoamérica, and MxDiseña on Canal Sony México,[5] at the time of his death. In 2016, he costarred in Juanes' video Fuego[4] as well as the Mexican film Macho, which was playing in Mexican cinemas at the time of his death.[6]
Death
The day before their bodies were found, López and his publicist (Omar Girón Juárez) had driven to the affluent suburban area of Zona Esmeralda, Atizapán in the northwestern part of Greater Mexico City, and an area that is teeming with regional drug cartels. A man named Carlos Morales had invited them to either a casting or a discussion about a PR campaign, and arranged to pick them up and drive them to another location where the casting or discussies was supposedly to take place. Morales is now identified as a suspect in the case.[7] Around 5:30 P.M., Girón emailed Morales stating that the area looked lonely and dangerous. That was the last anyone heard from Girón or López.[8]
López's and Girón's bodies were found with bullet wounds in a car in Santa María Mazatla, a rural village in Jilotzingo municipality about 15 km west of Zona Esmeralda.
Motives
Authorities concluded that the assassins were targeting López specifically, as there was no robbery, no kidnapping, and López was shot 13 times.[9] The local police reported a shootout the previous night, however the authorities do not have a definitive conclusion as to what happened.[10][11]
Televisa journalist Denise Maerker theorized that the motive for López's murder was not drug-related but rather because López may have had an affair with the wife of one of the assassins, as there were some "messages" in the investigation relating to that theme.[12] Authorities, however, believe the assassins may be members of drug gangs from the area.[9]
Reaction
Celebrities such as Juanes, Gloria Trevi, Bárbara Mori, Miguel Rodarte, Aislinn Derbez, Manolo Cardona, Aracely Arámbula and Dulce María lamented López's death on social media.[4] Some friends of López tattooed the word "Taco" on the ring finger of their right hands in his memory, as he had such a tattoo, referring to his love of the cherished Mexican national food item.[13]
References
- 1 2 3 "Perfil. Renato López: un galán polifacético", El Universal (México), 25 de noviembre de 2016
- ↑ Denise Lopez bror har mördats i Mexiko
- ↑ Telehit. "Telehit". esmas.com. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Juanes on Actor Renato Lopez's Death: 'It Was an Honor to Have You in Our Journey'", Billboard, 25 November 2016
- ↑ "Canal Sony Mexico on Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- ↑ Corazón Films (12 August 2016). "MACHO - Trailer oficial - estreno en noviembre". Retrieved 25 November 2016 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "La policía ya tiene un sospechoso del asesinato del actor Renato López", El Diario (New York), 30 November 2016
- ↑ "Renato López y representante fueron citados para supuesta campaña propagandística. Con Javier Poza" Radio Fórmula, 28 November 2016
- 1 2 "The thirteen bullets it took to kill Renato", El País (English), 30 November 2016
- ↑ "Muere baleado el actor Renato López". El Universal. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- ↑ http://www.quien.com/espectaculos/2016/11/24/encuentran-sin-vida-al-actor-y-conductor-renato-lopez/amp
- ↑ "¡TREMENDOS DETALLES! REVELAN CAUSAS DEL ASESINATO DE RENATO LÓPEZ", Televisa Espectáculos, 28 November 2016
- ↑ "Amigos Renato López se tatúan Taco a su memoria", Telehit website, 30 November 2016