Ugly Betty cast members have begun sharing their touching tributes following the death of creator Silvio Horta, who died by suspected suicide at the age of 45.
America Ferrera, who played the titular character in the ABC sitcom, was among the first of the show’s actors to react to Silvio’s sudden passing, and a number of her fellow co-stars followed suit and recalled their favourite memories of the producer.
Taking to Instagram, America wrote: ‘I’m stunned and heartbroken to hear the devastating news of Ugly Betty creator, Silvio Horta’s death.
‘His talent and creativity brought me and so many others such joy and light. I’m thinking of his family and loved ones who must be in so much pain right now – and of the whole Ugly Betty family who feel this loss so deeply.’
Vanessa Williams, who starred as the no-nonsense Wilhelmina Slater, added: ‘Still in shock after hearing the tragic news of our #uglybetty creator #silviohorta. His creativity and passion will be missed by so many of us that worked with him. May he Rest In Peace.’ (sic).
Eric Mabius, who played Daniel Meade in the dramedy, tweeted his tribute.
‘Silvio and I used to stay up late and laugh until our sides hurt— and complain to one another about life,’ Eric said. ‘He wrote the finest scenes, for all of us — crafted the most wonderfully flawed being I’ve ever had the privilege to embody. I’m empty right now…’
Elsewhere, Marc St. Jacobs actor Michael Urie said that Silvia’s death was ‘hard’.
Sharing his heartfelt sympathies, Michael wrote: ‘#SilvioHorta gave me a huge break on #UglyBetty. He broke barriers and saved lives.
‘Losing him is hard. This photo is from the GLAAD awards when we won. I hear from LGBTQ people all the time that the show helped them. Me too. He and that show will always be with me.’
Silvio was found in his motel room in Miami, Florida on Tuesday 7 January, with the star’s agent confirming his death to Metro.co.uk.
The creator’s most notable work was the much-beloved telenovela-inspired Ugly Betty, an American version of Colombian series Yo soy Betty, la fea, which ran from 2006-2010.
It starred America as a fish-out-of-water as she started work at a fashion magazine, despite no interest in the industry.
Silvio’s first major project was writing the cult classic 90s horror flick, Urban Legend, which starred Jared Leto, Alicia Witt and Tara Reid as college students who were tracked down by a serial killer recreating urban legends.
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