Actor Francisco San Martin, best known for his portrayals of Dario Hernandez on “Days of Our Lives” and Fabian Regalo del Cielo on “Jane the Virgin,” has died. He was just 39 years old.
Born August 27, 1985 in Majorca, Spain, and known to many as Pepe San Martin, a report filed by the Los Angeles Medical Examiner indicated the beloved actor died on Thursday, January 16 with the manner listed as suicide and the cause being ligature hanging. He was discovered deceased at his residence.
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“Pepe, what can I say but ‘I love you and rest in peace, my friend,’” San Martin’s former “Days of our Lives” co-star Camila Banus (ex-Gabi Hernandez) said in a post published to her Instagram story timeline. “Love you mucho, mucho, mucho. I wish I had told you more.”
Shortly after moving to Los Angeles in 2010, San Martin landed his first job in Hollywood, appearing in a November 2010 episode of “Days of our Lives” as Javier Rodriguez, a sick patient who died as he was causing a deadly outbreak at Salem University Hospital while in the presence of Melanie (Molly Burnett) and Nathan (Mark Hapka). A few months later, the show had cast him as Dario Hernandez, the younger brother of Rafe (Galen Gering), Gabi (Banus) and Arianna (Lindsay Hartley). He debuted in the March 11, 2011 episode but had exited the series by September 22, 2011.
In commenting on his exit from the show, San Martin said in a since-removed post on X (then Twitter), “I couldn’t be more honored to have been a part of an amazing team, both cast and crew who are both incredibly diligent and talented. Thanx for the support u guys! lol You guys are in great hands, hopefully the changes ‘DOOL’ is making will get u guys even more into the show!”
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Beyond “Days of our Lives,” San Martin appeared in the series “Jane the Virgin” for seven episodes during the show’s third and fourth seasons, playing Fabian Regalo del Cielo, a hot Latin star who helped put a spark back into Jane’s (Gina Rodriguez) step after the loss of her husband, Michael (Brett Dier).
In September 2017, it was announced that the actor had been cast in the recurring role of Mateo, who was tasked with monitoring the magnificent Forrester estate and would later be manipulated by Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown) after she recruited him to seduce Quinn Forrester (Rena Sofer), who Sheila sought to destroy by any means necessary.
San Martin’s additional credits include the shorts “Dot,” “Hotter Up Close” and “A Love Story.” He also briefly appeared in the film “Behind the Candelabra,” released in 2013.
