A Spanish actor and comic who became one of the world's most famous and widespread memes, has died.
Juan Joya Borja, who was 65, died after he suffered a vascular issue and having a leg removed. He had been in Hospital de la Caridad de Sevilla since September.
Borja became internationally famous after his video of him appearing on a TV show went viral. In the video, Borja breaks into hysterical laughter while he tells a story. He became known as 'The Giggles'.
The interview with TV host Jesús Quintero was in his native Spanish and regarded a story of him throwing dishes into the ocean when he worked in a kitchen as a young man. He is seen becoming hysterical with laughter, a laughter that made other people laugh even if they couldn't speak Spanish.
Website 'Know Your Meme' says of the meme:
"In June 2007, Borja was interviewed by host Jesus Quintero on the Spanish-language television program Ratones Coloraos, where he burst into laughter after telling a humorous anecdote about throwing kitchen pans into the sea while working at a beach restaurant as a young man. On June 21st, the Jesus Quintero YouTube channel uploaded the interview segment, which gained over 1.1 million views over the next eight years."
When the video appeared on the internet 10 years after it was made, pranksters began putting their own subtitles on the video pertaining to the situations they wanted. This was done in the same way as the meme involving the famous rant in the movie Downfall, which saw Bruno Gratz playing Hitler.
The meme was used to parody everything, from popular culture to politics. Borja also went on to become one of the most famous emotes on streaming site 'twitch'.
The internet was quick to respond to Borja’s passing:
RIP juan joya borja / El risitas.
— Winged Neko (@wingedneko) April 28, 2021
You brought me lots of laughs pic.twitter.com/qu0yLmmT16
[h/t: LADBIBLE]
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