Julian Ortega, an actor in the popular Netflix series Elite, passed away on August 25, 2024. As per a report by The Sun, he died from cardiac arrest at around 5.30 pm on Sunday while visiting Zahora Beach in Barbate, Spain. He was 41 years old.
Ortega reportedly collapsed in front of a beach bar, while many people watched. Lifeguards then rushed in and found that Ortega had gone into cardiac arrest. Sadly, he didn't make it. The National Union of Actors in Spain, Unión de Actores y Actrices, confirmed the tragic news.
Julian became famous after playing the manager of La Cabaña, a restaurant in the Netflix drama Elite in 2018. The show is about three working-class teenagers who attend an exclusive private school in Spain.
How did Julian Ortega die?
Julian Ortega was born in 1983 in Madrid, Spain. He was an actor who appeared in Caronte, Elite, and Nunc Et in Hora. Sadly, he passed away on August 25, 2024, in Barbate, Spain.
There are different stories about how Ortega died. At first, people said he drowned, but later on, it was reported that he collapsed on the beach in Barbate on Sunday evening.
According to Olive Press Spain, Ortega had a heart attack and paramedics tried to save him for about 30 minutes before he was declared dead.
Friends and family pay tribute to Julian Ortega
The actor appeared in numerous Spanish TV series and mini-series, such as Velvet, Cable Girls, Dangerous Moms, Caronte, The Countryside, and the soap opera 4 Estrellas. He also finished working on the upcoming film Trompeta before passing away.
Friends and colleagues in the acting world have been paying their respects to Julian since they heard he had passed away.
Silva Marsó shared a heartfelt condolence message with Julian's family on Instagram, writing in Spanish. The translation reads:
“I just got a call from my friend @lauracepedagolferichs to tell me the bad news that Julian Ortega Rodriguez @julianortega_7 has passed away, a great actor and a fellow honest, honest and as good a person as his parents Gloria Muñoz and José Antonio Ortega…I can't even think how these parents will be, partners, so loved in the profession. What a horror....I cannot assimilate it."
Spanish actor Fernando Tejero wrote,
“I am broken with pain, dear colleague… what a great actor and what a beautiful person you are, Julian Ortega… fly high, hugs to your father and mother."
Two days after Ortega's death, his co-star from The Countryside, Paco Collado, paid tribute to him on X, writing
“It was a great pleasure [Julián Ortega] to play your father in [‘The Countryside’] you left us with sympathy, generosity and professionalism, many hugs friend and also to your family, a real shame in the prime of your youth, RIP Julian.”
Julian showed up in six episodes of the popular series as the manager of La Cabaña restaurant. The show was nominated for the Fotogramas. In 2019, Elite won an award for "killer series" at the MTV MIAW Awards. Julian's parents, Gloria Munoz and Jose Antonio Ortega, are also actors.
