Register

    “Ugly Betty” co-creator Silvio Horta dies in Miami at 45

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments5876 Views
    This Oct. 9, 2007 file photo shows "Ugly Betty" creator Silvio Horta at the Billboard magazine Hispanic Women in Entertainment breakfast in Los Angeles. Horta died in Miami on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2020. He was 45. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)

    By Adriana Gomez Licon & Gisela Salomon

    MIAMI (AP) --

    Award-winning producer Silvio Horta, who was acclaimed for creating the hit series "Ugly Betty" with actress Salma Hayek, has died. He was 45. 

    The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner said Wednesday that based on the investigation Horta died by suicide at a Miami hotel on Tuesday. 

    The Cuban-American producer and screenwriter is credited for breaking ground for Latinos and gays in Hollywood with a show about a Mexican-American woman who arrives for her first day working at a New York fashion magazine in a poncho. The sitcom made actress America Ferrera a star. 

    Ferrera and others in the entertainment industry, including singer and actress Vanessa Williams, mourned his death on social media.

    "His creativity and passion will be missed by so many of us that worked with him," Williams tweeted.

    Horta's family said in a statement that "Silvio touched the lives of millions," but he had an ongoing struggle with addiction and depression. 

    "Through it all, he always found a way to turn his struggle into laughter," " the statement said. "He was a kind and beautiful man. He may be gone but his light will shine on."

    A service will be held in Miami, and a memorial services is planned for Los Angeles. 

    Tags:Silvio HortaUgly Betty



    Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died

    Saturday, December 21, 2024
    Suchir Balaji poses for a photo in Hawaii in 2018. Balaji was a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who died in November 2024. (Balaji Ramamurthy via AP)

    Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.

    Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.

    "We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.

    Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.

    His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.

    Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.

    "Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More

    MySHOOT Profiles


    Add A Comment