What did Karla Alvarez die of? Her Age, Spouse, Parents, Wiki

Fans of Mexican TV from the 1990s and 2000s remember who the actress Karla Alvarez was very well. By appearing in popular telenovelas such as “Maria Mercedes”, “Mi Querida Isabel” and “Alma Rebelde”, Karla became known for her acting versatility, portraying a wide range of characters who are still warmly remembered by her fans.

Karla’s life and two-decades-long career came to an end just too soon, when she sadly passed away at 41 years of age in November 2013. The cause of her unfortunate passing was respiratory failure related to a virus, regardless of the many rumors going on back in the day which pointed to Karla dying from different causes.

Who Was Karla Alvarez?

Karla Mercedes Alvarez Baez was born on 15 October 1972 in Mexico City, Mexico. Not much is known about Karla’s family, except that her father is named Carlos and she has two sisters named Esmeralda and Palmira.

Karla became interested in performance arts at an early age, eventually graduating in Dance from the National School of Classic and Contemporary Dances (known as ENDCC, in Spanish). She also studied at the Center of Artistic Education of the Televisa network.

Karla’s debut as a professional actress came in 1992 with the character Rosario Munoz in the telenovela “María Mercedes”, co-starring alongside Thalia. The next year, Karla got her first antagonist role by portraying the character Andrea in “Buscando El Paraiso”. She later co-starred as Karina Monasterios in “Prisionera de Amor”, for which she was nominated in the category of Best Young Lead Actress at the 1995 TVyNovelas Awards.

In 1994 and ‘95, Karla was Isabel in “Agujetas de Color Rosa”, and portrayed Julia Garcia in “Acapulco, Cuerpo y Alma”. She also debuted in theater in 1994, by acting in the play “Engañame Si Puedes”.

Rise To Fame

By the mid-1990s, Karla Alvarez had already gained considerable fame for her roles in a variety of Mexican TV dramas. Nonetheless, the only starring role of her career was as Isabel Rivas in “Mi Querida Isabel”, which aired in 1996 and ’97, and had her sharing the screen with the popular actor Ernesto Laguardia. This role also gained Karla a nomination for Best Female Revelation at the 1998 TVyNovelas Awards.

Also in 1996, Karla appeared in three episodes in the popular dramatic series “Mujer, Casos de la Vida Real”, on top of getting one of her most memorable villainess roles as Virginia Fernández in the 1998 telenovela “La Mentira”. This role not only gained Karla a nomination as Best Female Antagonist in the 1999 TVyNovelas Awards but also cemented Karla’s fame as an antagonist actress.

Karla Álvarez (October 15, 1972 – November 15, 2013) Mexican actress best known for her roles including Maria Mercedes and Alma Rebelde and as a contestant for Big Brother VIP in 2003. Her last TV appearance was Qué Bonito Amor just before her death. pic.twitter.com/7orAYtX4Be

— NoT🖤ForgotteN (@the_memorypage) November 24, 2017

In 1999, Karla was cast as the villainess Rita Alvarez in “Alma Rebelde”, sharing the screen with Jackeline Bracamontes, who affirmed it has been ‘beautiful’ to ‘work, talk and share so many hours’ with Karla during that time. Also in that year, Karla had a supporting role in “Mujeres Enganadas” and appeared in “Cuentos De Navidad”.

Last Roles

Karla Alvarez’s career in the 2000s started on the right foot by portraying the antagonist Violeta Junquera Brito in the popular telenovela “La Intrusa”. In 2002, she went back to the theater to appear in “La Casa de los Líos” and also portrayed an antagonist in the child drama series “¡Vivan Los Niños!”.

In 2003 Karla took a break from drama series to focus on the reality show “Big Brother VIP 2”, in which she turned out as the ninth eliminated contestant. The following year, she returned to TV to play the villainess Aurora in “Inocente de Ti”. Some of her next appearances on TV include the telenovelas “Heridas de Amor”, “Las Tontas no van al Cielo” and “Un Gancho Al Corazon”, on top of starring in the 2007 film “La Santa Muerte” as Rubi.

In 2011, Karla appeared in “Como dice el Dicho”, and in the following year was cast in “Qué bonito amor” as Irasema, which became her last role.

Personal Life

Since she rose to fame in the early 1990s, Karla Alvarez had several publicly known relationships. The first was with the famous actor and producer Alexis Ayala, whom she married in 1994.

According to a 2023 interview with Ayala, he proposed to Karla under the effects of alcohol, which he considered an error, saying that their relationship wasn’t meant to be long-term. He affirmed that the marriage had lasted around three months, yet some sources state that their divorce wasn’t finalized until 1995 or ‘96.

Later in 2003, Karla was romantically involved with the actor Jorge van Rankin, as the pair competed against each other in “Big Brother VIP 2”. As Van Rankin affirmed in a 2020 interview, the pair lasted two years together in an on-and-off relationship, in which she broke up from him several times, leaving him to live ‘some of the worst moments’ of his life. Despite the bad moments they went through, Van Rankin also revealed that he had deeply ‘adored’ Karla as a partner.

Karla was married to the businessman Antonio D’Agostino Marolla from 2011 until early 2013 when she filed for divorce, accusing him of domestic violence. The relationship wasn’t widely known by the public until Karla’s death, only when D’Agostino attended her funeral.

Karla’s Death

Karla Alvarez’s death was not only unexpected but also controversial, due to several rumors which circulated at the time, hence why her passing was labeled as ‘mysterious’ for a long time. Right after her death at 41 years old on 15 November 2013, it was revealed that Karla had passed away from a respiratory failure when at her home in San Jeronimo, Mexico City.

During her funeral, her ex-husband Antonio D’Agostino not only introduced himself as her current husband, but also revealed, in an allegedly drunk state, that Karla had choked while eating quesadillas, which was a story widely spread by the media at the time. Other theories also pointed to Karla suffering from eating disorders which eventually caused a respiratory illness.

Despite all the rumors and assumptions, in 2017 Univision revealed that the respiratory failure which caused Karla’s death had been the product of viral pneumonia which she’d been suffering from for a couple of days. She had a coughing attack which caused her death at 2pm on that fateful day, but no mention of a choking incident was written on her death certificate.

Physical Appearance & Net Worth

Karla Alvarez had brown eyes and brunette hair. She was 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall, but her weight was unknown.

According to some sources, Karla had a net worth of $1.4 million by her unfortunate death. She left her inheritance, including her house, car, and bank accounts, to her then-16-year-old nephew Carlos. Nonetheless, her inheritance was surrounded by scandal, as her ex-husband D’Agostino and her family allegedly fought over her belongings.