Spanish comedian and internet phenomenon 'El Risitas' has died

The Spanish comedian Juan Joya Borja alias 'El Risitas' (The Giggler), has died at the age of 65 in a hospital in his hometown of Seville.

Corresponding media reports were confirmed by the Virgen del Rocio hospital on Thursday.

His close friend Francisco Beltran said: "He was already very pale, a few more tests were done and then he died of heart failure on Wednesday. It wasn't coronavirus; he had already been vaccinated."

Joya was best known for his high-pitched, wheezy laugh.

In his homeland, Joya had been appearing on television since 2000.

Internationally, he rose to fame after a clip from a programme featuring him on television was uploaded to the internet. In the video, he tells how he once tied paella pans to the beach as an assistant cook so that they could be washed clean in the sea. But at night, the tide came in and washed away all but one.

This video has been viewed millions of times.

In addition, the video was reworked in many countries for countless other topics by adding completely different subtitles to the original Spanish text. The aim was mostly to make fun of and criticize politicians, companies or associations.