How did Elite star Julian Ortega die? Cause of death explored

Spanish star Julian Ortega, who is famous for his role in Elite, died suddenly of a heart attack at Playa de Zahora beach in Barbate, Spain on August 27, 2024, and his cause of death has finally been released. It has been confirmed that, unlike rumors of drowning, Ortega died of a cardiac arrest, according to La Voz de Cadiz. The actor was aged only 41 at the time of his death.

According to the source, authorities tried to revive Ortega for some time after he collapsed but it was in vain. Witnesses at the beach claimed that he had been pulled from the water on the beach with “symptoms” of drowning. Ortega passed away on August 27 at Zahora, in the municipality of Barbate, which is a popular vacation destination for celebrities.

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Elite star Julian Ortega died this Tuesday: Tributes pour in

The news of Ortega's death has been confirmed by the Spanish actors’ union in an X post:

“Actor Julián Ortega dies at the age of 41. May he rest in peace. From the Union of Actors and Actresses, our most sincere condolences to the actor’s family and friends,”

Spain’s national union of actors and actresses also commented on Ortega’s death in an obituary which read:

“From the Unión de Actores y Actrices, we send our most sincere condolences to the actor’s family and friends,”

Actor Silvia Marso also put out an Instagram post grieving the actor's death:

“My friend @lauracepedagolferichs just called me to give me the bad news that Julian Ortega Rodriguez @julianortega_7, a tremendous actor and an upright, honest partner and as good a person as his parents Gloria Muñoz and José Antonio Ortega, has passed away.”

Julian Ortega passed away from cardiac arrest and tributes have been pouring in for the celebrated actor all over social media from his fans, colleagues, friends, and family.

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About Julian Ortega

Julian Ortega was a Spanish actor who was known for his work in Caronte (2020), a crime drama that streamed on Amazon Prime Video, Elite (2018) on Netflix and Nunc Et in Hora (2010). He appeared in six episodes of Elite in 2018 as the manager of the restaurant La Cabaña.

Elite is one of Netflix’s most-established Spanish originals and its eighth and final season recently premiered July 26, 2024, on the streaming platform. The official logline of the show reads as follows:

“When three working-class teens enroll in an exclusive private school in Spain, the clash between them and the wealthy students leads to murder.”

Some of Julian Ortega’s other notable acting credits include the Spanish shows 4 estrellas, The Countryside, Untameable and La sue se avecina. He also recently completed work on his upcoming film Trompeta, before his death.

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Catch Ortega's most notable work Elite on Netflix.