(CNN Spanish) – Omar Marchant, television and radio entrepreneur, died early this Friday in the city of Miami at the age of 88, as confirmed by the family on social networks and also by a source close to the family from CNN en Español.
He began his career in his home country of Cuba. After settling in Miami, he began working in local radio and then television, becoming one of the great creators of what is now the national Hispanic television structure in the United States.
“A happy guy,” is how he once said he would like to be described. A joy that he achieved, among other things, thanks to a remarkable professional career alongside other well-known personalities such as Mario Kreutzberger, better known as Don Francisco. And just like Don Francisco, Marchant was allowed to stand in front of the camera to become a variety show host.
Courtesy of Storiesdelatv.com
His friendship with the Spanish singer Julio Iglesias, as Marchant once said, gave him professional and personal satisfaction. And Julio Iglesias himself admitted that he learned a lot from the Cuban businessman at the beginning of his career.
Another celebrity, his compatriot Emilio Estefan, once said that when he talks about Spanish-language television in Miami, he has to talk about Marchant. And Estefan didn't end his praise there: in fact, he thanked her for the support he received from her, just as he was starting his musical career with singer Gloria Estefan, his future wife.
Marchant was vice president and head of promotions and special events at Univision between 1972 and 1994. He also worked at the Telemundo network. Over the course of his long career, he has left an indelible mark on Latin American culture in the United States with his countless pioneering projects and initiatives related to Spanish-language media in Miami.