The 79-year-old husband of the actress and comedian committed suicide at their Beverly Hills home on Monday afternoon, February 18.
- Feb 19, 2019
AceShowbiz - Charo's husband Kjell Rasten has killed himself. The longtime husband of the Spanish-American singer and comedian died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Monday afternoon, February 18, TMZ reports.
Law enforcement sources tell the site that the 79-year-old, who was married to Charo for more than 40 years, shot himself at around 2 P.M. in the Beverly Hills home where he and his wife lived. Charo was reportedly home at the time.
Someone in the house called 911 and police and paramedics responded. Kjell was transported to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Charo and Kjell tied the knot in 1978 in a civil ceremony in South Lake Tahoe, California. The private nuptials were attended by 30 guests. They have one child together, son Shel Rasten who was born in 1981. He is an actor, producer and the drummer for the heavy metal band Treazen.
Kjell was a TV producer in the '70s and '80s. The couple appeared in a 2015 episode of "Celebrity Wife Swap", where she swapped with her former "Love Boat" co-star Jill Whelan. Charo's sister Carmen, who served as her stylist, was also featured on the show.
Charo, whose real name is María del Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza, later competed in season 24 of "Dancing with the Stars" in 2017. She was paired with pro dancer Keo Motsepe. The finished in the 11th place after getting eliminated in the third week.
Charo, who was previously married to musician Xavier Cugat from 1966 until 1978, also appeared on "RuPaul's Drag Race" in 2009 and 2016, and in a 2016 episode of "Jane the Virgin".
