The renowned Cuban actor Héctor Benito Echemendía Ruiz de Villa, winner of the 2020 National Television Award, died at 88 in Belgium, the country where he lived during the last years of his life alongside his children, grandchildren and other family members. The news was confirmed by his daughter, Dannele Echemendía, through an emotional Facebook post, on behalf of her siblings and loved ones.

In her farewell message, Dannele evoked not only the extraordinary artist, but also the father, grandfather and friend who left a deep mark on those who shared his life. "His greatest work was not on a stage, but in the way he loved his family and friends," she expressed.

Born on November 17, 1938, in Camagüey, Echemendía dedicated more than six decades to acting. His link to the artistic world began in 1957, when he worked as a commercial plant operator at the CMJA radio station. In 1960 he joined as an actor a group of amateurs directed by Miguel Ponce, which a year later became professional under the name Conjunto Dramático de Camagüey.

In that group he developed an important stage of his scenic training and starred in works such as Santa Camilla de La Habana Vieja, Santa Juana de América and La casa de té de la luna de agosto. In 1968 he moved to the Conjunto Dramático de Oriente, where he remained until 1975, when he returned to Camagüey to continue his theatrical work.

In the mid-1980s he joined Radio Cadena Agramonte, a station where he explored different genres, from radio dramas to children's, humor and peasant programs. He also ventured into cabaret, where he brought to life the popular character El Gallego, a member of the traditional trilogy of Cuban bufó theater alongside El Negrito and La Mulata.

In 1992 he moved to Havana and consolidated an outstanding career in television, a medium in which he achieved broad recognition for his versatility and ability to build characters. His presence in soap operas, series, stories and televised theater spaces enriched the Cuban screen. Among his most remembered works are Hermanos, where he became known with the character of Iznaga; Cuando el agua regresa a la tierra, Pasión y prejuicio, Entre mamparas and Tierra brava.

His film career also brought together important titles. He participated in films such as El brigadista (1977), by Octavio Cortázar; Una mujer, un hombre, una ciudad (1978), by Manuel Octavio Gómez; La Bella del Alhambra (1989), by Enrique Pineda; Ilona llega con la lluvia (1996), by Sergio Cabrera, and Kleines Tropicana (1997), by Daniel Díaz Torres, among other national and international productions.

Throughout his career he received various recognitions for his contributions to Cuban culture. In 1961 he obtained a diploma from the newspaper Adelante for his theatrical work and was distinguished as the most outstanding figure of the year in Camagüey. Later he won the Acting Award at the Camagüey Theater Festival (1983), an acting mention at the UNEAC Radio Festival (1989) and the Distinction for National Culture (1993).

In 2019 he received the ACTUAR Award for Lifetime Achievement and, in 2020, the National Television Award, the highest recognition that distinguishes personalities with an exceptional contribution to the development of that medium in Cuba.

With the death of Héctor Echemendía, a figure of notable sensitivity and craft disappears, whose work passed through different stages and media. His voice, his characters and his way of understanding acting will remain in the memory of several generations of spectators and in the history of Cuban performing and audiovisual arts.

Cuban Television expresses its deepest condolences to his children, relatives, friends and professional colleagues.