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Cristina Ortiz starring in 'Veneno.'
Cristina Ortiz starring in 'Veneno.'

'Veneno' star Isabel Torres dies at 52

The Spanish actress died after suffering from cancer. She was best known for her starring role in the TV series.

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The family of the Isabel Torres announced her death on social media. In their post on Instagram, relatives took the opportunity to thank all the people who surrounded and supported the actress with endless affection during her medical treatment. 

The 52-year-old actress was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2018. In November 2021, she recorded a video to tell her fans that she suffered a recurrence, admitting that it would be probably the last video she posts.

Veneno, an icon

Businesswoman, model and TV host, Torres excelled in a number of artistic disciplines. She participated in numerous television programs throughout her career, for example: El programa de Ana Rosa, Channel Nº 4, and Nos vas pa' la playa. In the Canary Islands, her homeland, she participated in the well-known carnival and became the first transgender woman to vie for queen of the festival.

Her  starring role in Veneno, directed by the Spain's Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, is what catapulted her career to recognition across Spain, Latin America, and also the United States. 

In the production, Torres played the role of the Spanish transgender woman Cristina Ortiz 'La Veneno,' who in the 90s, stood out in the society for her personality, charisma, popularity and activism as part of the LGBTQ+ movement.

The television series, based on real events and characters, highlights Ortiz's life, as well as her enigmatic and mysterious death.

Torres' performance in Veneno led her to win the 2020 "Ondas Award” in the category of Best Female Actress in National Fiction. These prizes, handed out by Radio Barcelona owned by the Spanish media group PRISA, are awarded every single year to highlight television, radio and music personalities. However, due to the pandemic restrictions, the actress was unable to collect the award in person. She waited until November 2021, when she participated in a television taping and seized the moment to bid her fans farewell and leave a message to all the people who were suffering a disease. 

"If someone is going through the same thing as me, I would tell them not to throw in the towel at any time," Torres said. 

Torres will always be remembered for her activism for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community and for being the first transgender woman to have her identity legally recognized on her ID in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: her homeland that previously recognized her as Illustrious Citizen. 

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