Peruvian comedian Jorge Benavides was the first to announce the death of Enrique Espejo, the beloved comic known as 'Yuca', on the afternoon of Friday, September 11. The host of 'JB noticias' turned to social media to remember and say goodbye to his friend, with whom he worked for several years on various comedy programs on Peruvian television.
In his post, Benavides highlighted Yuca's gift for making people laugh through his presence alone, without needing to say a word. Benavides wrote that Yuca was one of those characters who could make you laugh just by showing up, without saying anything, and said he had never stopped thinking about him.
Benavides' tribute message
Benavides said he would always remember his friend and sent his condolences to Espejo's entire family. He wrote that he had never stopped thinking about him, but that Yuca had simply gone ahead of them, wishing him rest in peace and sending a strong embrace up to heaven, along with his deepest condolences to the whole family.
Benavides also chose to honor his friend by recalling anecdotes from their years working together, including their participation in the well-known sketch 'La jugada polémica'. According to Benavides, Yuca would always ask for a pay rise, which he jokingly called an "inflada de llanta," every time he took part in the segment.
Benavides recalled that once Yuca had to step away due to his health, the sketch was never the same, since he always used to call on him to be the example in the segment. He said Yuca would always ask for his raise in every sketch, and that he would reply that he had just given him one, at which point Yuca would burst out laughing.
Who was Enrique Espejo 'Yuca'
Jorge Benavides is a well known figure in Peruvian television, recognized for leading the long-running comedy and satire program 'JB noticias' on Panamericana Televisión. Enrique Espejo, known by his stage name 'Yuca', spent years working alongside him in sketches and humor segments that became a fixture of Peruvian TV comedy.
Yuca's declining health
Espejo's health had been deteriorating over the past year, which led him to step away temporarily from his television work. He also suffered a fall that affected his head, resulting in hospitalization and a stay in intensive care.
As of now, it is not known for certain what illness the beloved comedian had or whether it was the cause of his death. Benavides said that toward the end of last year he had been sending Yuca voice messages on WhatsApp, but that Yuca was no longer able to hear them.
