Silvio Horta, the Creator of Ugly Betty, Has Died

Silvio Horta, the Creator of Ugly Betty, Has Died

Silvio Horta, the creator, showrunner and head writer of the ABC television series Ugly Betty, was found dead on Tuesday in a hotel room in Miami, Fla. The cause of death has not yet been announced by the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner Department—however, there is evidence of a potential self-inflicted gunshot wound. Horta was 45 years old.

According to a statement issued by Horta’s family, he had an “ongoing struggle with addiction and depression,” which may have played a role in his death.

Ugly Betty star America Ferrera took to Instagram to mourn Horta’s death, saying, “His talent and creativity brought me and so many others such joy & light.”

Ugly Betty was itself a spinoff of a popular Colombian telenovela Yo Soy Betty La Fea. It centers around a young Mexican-American woman from Queens who takes a job as an assistant at a fashion magazine in Manhattan. It ran from 2006 to 2010, and earned Golden Globes for best comedy and best actress in a comedy. More importantly, it opened a dialogue about Latinidad, diasporan identity, and unachievable beauty standards—while still making us laugh. That won’t be soon forgotten.

 
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