Tens of thousands gather in Mexico City to mourn comedian Bolanos

Tens of thousands of fans filled a Mexico City stadium to say goodbye to Chespirito comedian Roberto Gomez Bolanos, whose beloved TV characters entertained generations of Latin American children.

A coffin bearing his remains was carried into the Azteca stadium on Sunday on a red trailer flanked by the characters he created, an orphan who lived in a barrel and a goofy superhero with a big heart. At the sight of it, the crowd rose to their feet chanting " Chespirito! Chespirito!"

His widow Florinda Meza, a star in the legendary series, waved from another vehicle to the fans who had waited in line for hours to bid farewell to the actor. He died in Cancun on Friday at age 85.

Eduardo de la Borbolla said that he had come to the stadium to say thanks "for all these years that he made us laugh."

In honour of his hero, he sported a red cap with the symbol of El Chapulin Colorado (Red Grasshopper), one of Gomez Bolanos' most famous characters. The actor - whose nickname Chespirito meant "Little Shakespeare" for his short stature and prolific writing - created some of the most popular television shows in the history of Latin America.

In El Chavo del Ocho (The Kid from the Eight), he played a mischievous orphan who always wore a hat with ear flaps and slept in a barrel in the courtyard of a working-class housing complex.