Roberto Gomez Bolanos, the Mexican comedian who was well-remembered throughout his lifetime for his nick name "Chespirito," passed away Friday.

He was 85.

Chespirito left a legacy for creating and portraying the young boy el Chavo del Ocho, the defining character that millions of Latin American children adored for decades.

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His death was confirmed by Televisa.

Chespirito, inspired by Hollywood's comic duo Laurel and Hardy and Mexico's own international comedian Cantinflas, revolutionized Mexican comedy.

His two most famous characters were "El Chavo del Ocho," famed for his barrel, freckles, striped shirt and frayed cap as well as for jumping from one home to another throughout Latin America, and "El Chapulin Colorado," or "The Crimson Grasshopper," Mexico's local comic superhero.

He also starred in his own morning show "Captain Kangaroo" in the United States, which became preschool kids' favorite.

His clean comedy style free from sexual allusions and obscene undertones remain popular to this day.

Starting out as an amateur boxer and after a stint at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Chespirito began his prolific career that saw him wrote hundreds of television episodes, 20 films and theater productions that to this day are being watched by over 100 million people around the world every day.

With his wholesome popularity, the actor became known as "Chespirito"-- "Chespir" for the Mexican pronunciation of Shakespease and "ito," a diminutive term, which fitted Bolaños' short stature.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto was saddened by Chespirito's death. He tweeted, "Mexico has lost an icon whose work has transcended generations and borders."

Born Feb. 21, 1929, Chespirito's passion for writing became evident even when he was young. He soared to star status in 1970 after he was introduced on TV as "Chespirito."  In 1971, he created and acted on El Chavo del Ocho ("The Boy from the Eight"), in reference to the station that broadcasted the show.

El Chavo's popularity proved so much that it is still being shown on reruns different countries, particularly in South America and in Spanish television in the United States. People in the Latin American countries, particularly those living under dictatorships then looked up to El Chavo's underdog triumphs amidst the authorities.

Well into his 80s, Chespirito channeled his popularity into social media when he opened his Twitter account. Two months later, his following swelled to one million  and on his death, he had over 6.6 million fans on the social media.

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