Luis Rossi, a Uruguayan immigrant pivotal in Chicago’s renowned Spanish entertainment and media landscape, has died. He was 71.
Rossi died Thursday from pancreatic cancer. He spent Christmas at home surrounded by family.
“We celebrated his birthday on Christmas Eve and then we had family over for Christmas,” Rossi’s wife, Alma, said. “His last days were calm. He went quickly. He didn’t suffer much.”
Rossi’s death was first reported by his former newspaper, La Raza. Rossi bought La Raza in 1983 and sold it in 2003. In those 20 years, Rossi transformed the small weekly into one of the most important Spanish media outlets in Chicago and across the Midwest.
Around this time, Rossi founded Viva Entertainment with his Cuban business partner, Ivan Fernández. The duo would throw dance parties across the city and would go on to acquire the Aragon Ballroom in Uptown in the late 1990s. Under their stewardship, the Aragon became a staple tour stop for some of Latin America’s biggest acts.
Now owned by Live Nation, the venue is known as the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom.
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Rossi is survived by his wife, Alma Rossi; and his adopted son, Bryan Rossi. Visitation will be 3 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Malec & Sons Funeral Home, 6000 N. Milwaukee Ave.
A funeral Mass will be held Friday at Holy Name Catholic Cathedral.
This is a developing story. Check back for details.
Carlos Ballesteros is a corps members of Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster Sun-Times coverage of Chicago’s South Side and West Side.
