Spanish
Santo Domingo. - Luis Bernardo Martí Hernández, best known as Luisito Martí, died on a day like today, January 3, 2010, at the age of 64, leaving a mark on music, television, Dominican cinema and the Dominican art industry in general.
Born on February 1, 1945, in Villa Duarte, Santo Domingo Este, Luisito Martí was much more than a comedian: he was a musician, actor, producer, presenter, and creator of characters that today are part of the collective memory of the country.
You can also read: Drake is accused of using betting platform to inflate his streams
His artistic career began in music, as a conga player for Johnny Ventura's Combo Show, where he later also shone as a vocalist, performing merengues that became popular hits such as "La muerte de Martín", "Qué pasa Papo", "Te digo ahorita", and "Mamá es la que sabe". Subsequently, he founded his own orchestra, "El Sonido Original", achieving recognition with songs like "Gato entre Macuto", "Jaleo de Acordeón" and "El mudo". But it was in humor that Luisito Martí achieved eternity. In 1983, he joined the comedy cast of El Show del Mediodía, where he quickly became a comedy director and creator of a gallery of unforgettable characters. Among them, Balbuena, the most beloved of all: a humble Dominican dreamer with the illusion of traveling to New York in search of the so-called American dream. Balbuena not only made people laugh; he represented the common Dominican, their aspirations, frustrations, and hopes. A character so real that he ended up transcending television. In 1995, Luisito Martí took Balbuena to the cinema with the film "Nueba Yol: ¡Por fin llegó Balbuena!", becoming a box office phenomenon and a milestone in Dominican cinema. The story continued in 1997 with "Nueba Yol 3: Bajo la nueva ley", consolidating Balbuena as one of the most emblematic characters in the national audiovisual. Throughout his career, Luisito Martí produced and starred in successful television shows such as “El Show de Luisito y Anthony”, “De Remate”, “Las mil caras del engaño” and “El Show de Luisito Martí”, as well as serving as presenter of the Casandra Awards in 2007, along with Jatnna Tavárez and even receiving the Gran Soberano, the award's highest honor, in 1996.On a personal level, Martí married Milagros Rivera in 1966, who passed away a year after his death in 2011. He had 5 children with her: Luisín, Kaki, Omar, Robert Luis, and Steven Mel.
After facing serious health problems, Luisito Martí passed away on January 3, 2010, leaving a collective sorrow in Dominican society, which was shaken by the news of his death. Today, 16 years later, Luisito Martí lives on in every rerun of Nueba Yol, in every memory of Balbuena, and in the hearts of millions of Dominicans who grew up laughing at his clean, intelligent, and deeply relatable humor. Luisito's talent, discipline, and creativity made him one of the most admired and respected artists in the Dominican Republic.
