A Netflix actor has died suddenly on the beach to the shock of onlookers as his friends paid tribute to his “incredible” work.
Julian Ortega, 41, from the hit Netflix series Elite, was standing under a beach bar on Zahora beach, southwest of Marbella, Spain, on Sunday. When he suffered a heart attack.
Alarmed bathers immediately called for medical assistance and paramedics spent up to 30 minutes trying to revive the stage and television actor.
Despite having a defibrillator, they could not save his life. Ortega was from Madrid and was known for his roles in Caronte (2020), Élite (2018) and Nunc Et in Hora (2010).
Elite, which is set in a fictional elite high school and centers on three working-class scholarship recipients, was met with critical acclaim.
Julian Ortega, 41, was sitting under a beach bar on Zahora beach, southwest of Marbella, Spain, on Sunday when he suffered a heart attack.
The Madrid-born actor was known for his roles in Caronte (2020), Élite (2018) and Nunc Et in Hora (2010).
The first of its eight seasons was streamed by more than 20 million Netflix accounts during its first month of release.
Ortega appeared in six episodes of Elite as the manager of the beer and burger joint La Cabaña, NeedToKnow reported.
Fellow artists have been paying tribute to the TV star, whose mother is actress Gloria Muñoz.
Goya Award-winning actor Fernando Tejero wrote: “Life can be so cruel sometimes. It breaks my heart, dear friend.
‘You were a great actor and an even better person, Julián Ortega. Fly high.’
Actress Sílvia Marsó added: ‘He was an incredible actor and a colleague as genuine, honest and kind as his parents.
‘I can’t even imagine how his parents and everyone who knew him in the industry must feel.
“It’s horrible. I can’t take it in. I’m overcome with absolute sadness.”