Actor and singer Cesar Melendez was known for his jovial and humble personality; his hard work and honest interpretations of different characters made him one of the favorite artists among the Costa Rican public.

Cesar Melendez was born in Nicaragua, but lived in Costa Rica since he was 4 years of age. He passed away this Saturday, December 17 as he lost his battle to cancer.

Melendez was better known for his monologue “El Nica” which told the story of Jose Mejia Espinoza, a Nicaraguan that with humor and great emotion talked about the struggles of being an immigrant in Costa Rica, and was his way to fight xenophobia . This monologue was seen by close to 500,000 people in Costa Rica and other countries and received recognitions in the U.S.A., Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Colombia, Argentina, France, Spain and England, according to the information given by La Polea Theater, which was founded by Melendez. In 2003, Melendez presented “El Nica” in The Star Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

He was awarded the National Prize as Best Theater Actor by the Costa Rican government in 2004.

Other of the roles that gained him popularity was his interpretation of “Ricky” in the national show “La Pension”.

He also participated as a judge in the show “Dancing with the Stars-Costa Rica” and a teacher in the show “Your Face Sounds Familiar” both of Channel 7 Costa Rica.

In the 80’s he was a vocalist for several Costa Rican bands.

“I am one of those people that think that racism and xenophobia don’t exist. I want to think that what is missing in the different communities and countries, not just in one side but in both, is the formation in values” , he declared to the Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa some years back.

Melendez was married and leaves behind 1 year and nine month old daughter.