This third day of 2024 has ended with unexpected news on the Spanish art scene. Francisco Arévalo, one of the most remembered comedians on television in the last 40 years, has been found dead in his home in Valencia, according to Semana magazine. It was his son who found the ill-fated comedian, with the causes of his death still to be discovered. The main theory, according to sources close to the family, points to a heart attack.
In this way a life of humor, controversy and romance comes to an end. In this sense, there have been two women who have marked his life, both on and off television: his wife Elena and Malena Gracia, with whom he starred in a romantic story worthy of a roller coaster. It was this last adventure that became the artist’s biggest topic of conversation in recent years, filling hours of talk shows and covers in gossip magazines.
His relationship with the actress and singer came and went fleetingly. It was in 2021 that the comedian revealed the special connection between the two, after years of being friends and working together. However, that romance did not last long, and by the month of August everything had broken into a thousand pieces. Although according to close sources they would have remained friends, their opposing positions in the breakup between Bertín Osborne and Fabiola Martínez left them in distant places.
“I believe that no one is the right person to get into a relationship, I don’t like people getting into my relationship, I would never get involved. I didn’t think what Fabiola said was bad, they asked me and I didn’t comment. I have not been close to them, but we have shared parties and things, I really like her, I think she was very good,” she expressed on the issue. Although it has not been her only intervention in this regard in recent years.
In fact, his ex-partner had words for him this summer, after making a fierce defense of his partner and friend during Gabriela Guillén’s pregnancy: “He was there in the bed, oh my goodness, he hasn’t been there, has someone told you if he has?” After this it is clear that the hood was not on.” Although this relationship with Malena Gracia will be etched in the minds of many, the woman in his life was another: his wife Elena.
Elena was the main adventure partner in Arévalo’s life. At a time when she was recording tapes with her gangoso jokes, she won her over thanks to an imitation of another comedian just as remembered as him: Cantinflas. At that time she was 18 years old, and there was still some time left for her to hit the screens with her appearances in the film The Majesty of Her Laughter and the legendary Spanish Television contest One, two, three… answer another time.
Their romantic relationship turned into marriage after the pregnancy of what would be their first child. In total, four children would be born as a result of that romance, but fate had cruel twists in store for them. Two of his children died, one of them a month after birth, while Iker died at the age of 27 due to a myocardial infarction. However, the most tragic was his wife, who left in 2015 after a long bout with cancer. They were together 52 years.