Juan Joya Borja, The Man Behind 'Spanish Laughing Guy' Meme, Has Died
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The Spanish actor and comedian who has sparked so many parody meme videos has sadly died aged 65.
Juan Joya Borja is known for his video in which he couldn't hide his iconic laughter.
ABC de Sevilla reports he had been in Hospital de la Caridad de Sevilla since September last year for treatment for an 'illness'.
He had a leg amputated because of a vascular problem.
Sadly, he had a sudden relapse and he later died.
People have flocked to social media to pay tribute to a legend.
His iconic video first debuted on Spanish television years ago when he was on a local programme called Ratones Coloraos, according to Vice.
It was during an interview with host Jesús Quintero that he was regaling viewers with a story about when he was a young bloke and threw dishes into the ocean while working as a kitchen helper.
Those who have seen his iconic video will remember him bursting into a fit of unique laughter.
Even if they had no clue what he was saying prior to the laughing, it was so incredibly infectious that you couldn't help but laugh along with him.
It was a big moment in Spain when the video first happened, however it would be nearly 10 years later in 2014 when he became a proper meme.
In much the same way that people parodied the scene in Downfall where Adolf Hitler rants about any given topic, Juan Joya Borja, aka 'The Giggles' or El Risitas, would have the topic of his laughter morphed into whatever the user wanted.
Anyone could whack on some subtitles underneath Borja and pretend he was talking about incompetent family members or a funny encounter with a boss. If they timed it right, they could make Borja burst out with his legendary laughter.
According to Know Your Meme, Borja's face was also one of the most used emotes on Twitch.
