Passing of astrologer Walter Mercado draws fan reactions
Fans and celebrities took to Twitter to mourn the loss of LGBTQ and Latino icon Walter Mercado, who died Saturday.
Stars and fans of the late Puerto Rican astrologer and television personality Walter Mercado took to Twitter on Sunday morning to mourn the LGBTQ and Latino icon.
Mercado, who never publicly stated his sexuality, was an icon in the gay community for never conforming to traditional gender roles and challenging Latin America’s conservative television culture.
In an emotional thread, comedian Gabe Gonzalez shared his personal connection to the astrologer, who died Saturday of kidney failure.
“He was weird and beautiful and eccentric and dressed in extravagant capes I’d try to imitate using my grandmother’s sheets,” said Gonzalez in a tweet. “He defined everything I’d been taught about how I ‘should’ act as a Puerto Rican man.”
“He never identified as queer, but it felt like he refused to be constrained by gender norms and antiquated ideas of masculinity,” he continued. “When an interviewer once asked his age, Walter Mercado responded ‘Soy ageless.’ Ageless never dies, bebé.”
“Orange Is the New Black” actress Dascha Polanco also tweeted about the fallen star, lamenting the fact that she’d never had a chance to meet him.
The Kid Mero, one half of the comedy duo Desus & Mero, also shared the news on social media, saying he watched Mercado “my entire life.”
In their remembrances, several fans shared Mercado’s signature catchphrase “Above all, lots and lots of love.”
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