Beloved Mexican actor Ruben Aguirre, best known for his portrayal of the character Professor Jirafales on the old Mexican sketch show Chespirito and El Chavo del Ocho, written by the late Roberto Gomez Bolaños.

His former co-star, Edgar Vivar, better known as Mr. Barriga in the series, was the first to share the news on Twitter:

"My favorite professor, rest in peace… Today my great friend Ruben Aguirre is leaving this plain. I'll miss you dearly", his tweet reads.

Aguirre had been sick for several weeks. Sadly, he passed away at 4:10 a.m. due to pneumonia complications. He was home, after spending most of May at the hospital in a delicate state, but he made it out", said his daughter Veronica to BBC World.

After El Chavo del Ocho ended in 1980, Aguirre was still working with Gomez Bolaños in the sitcoms Doctor Chapatín, Los Caquitos and El Chapulín Colorado for 12 more years.

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