TV ASTROLOGER LOVED BY MANY.
Beloved fixture in the Latino community
Walter Mercado, the Puerto Rican TV astrologer whose warmth and flamboyance won him scores of fans across Latin America and the United States for more than 30 years, has died. The Associated Press reports that Mercado was 88.
Mercado died Saturday night at Auxilio Mutuo Hospital in San Juan from kidney failure, hospital spokeswoman Sofia Luquis told the AP.
For decades, Mercado was a fixture on Spanish-language television where, at the height of his fame, his astrology reports reached an estimated 120 million viewers — more than the Super Bowl. His horoscopes commonly followed news programs, including Univision’s Primer Impacto, a 60 Minutes-like investigative show.
After blowing a kiss to the camera, Mercado signed off each night with his signature line, “Pero sobre todo, con mucho, mucho amor” — “But above all, with lots and lots of love.”
Mercado was a beloved fixture in the Latino community, and his annual New Year’s predictions in particular were can’t-miss events for generations of Spanish-language viewers, said film critic and freelance entertainment journalist Yolanda Machado.
Mercado was exacting in his instructions. In his forecast for 2019, delivered in December, he instructed Geminis to “rub sandalwood oil on the front door of your house while conversing with your Heavenly Father and claiming that 2019 will be a year of better luck and better earnings.” Capricorns were advised during their next bath to “make sure to use a bar of soap that you haven’t used. When you’re done bathing, throw away the soap and place a small candle on the floor of your bathroom.”
Because of his longevity on television, Mercado’s recognition spanned generations.
His flamboyant TV persona stemmed from his difficult childhood during which he suffered from a heart condition and spoke with a stutter, Mercado told the Miami New Times earlier this year.
Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Mercado worked as a dancer and actor before moving to Florida, according to UPI. After decades in television, including 15 years with Univision, Mercado wrote daily horoscopes for El Nuevo Herald, the Spanish-language newspaper of the Miami Herald.