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News anchor Edgardo del Villar died at 51 on Sunday after a two-year battle with brain cancer, Telemundo station WNJU announced. The broadcaster, who began working for WNJU in 2017, was part of the channel’s 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts.
He died at his Bergen County, New Jersey. He is survived by his mother and siblings, his wife — TV and radio host Carolina Novoa — and his daughter, Dana.
“Today, in a celebration, heaven is welcoming the most beautiful man and the best husband I could have ever asked for. God bless you and have in your Glory. I love you forever. Your Precious Baby,” posted Novoa on her Instagram.
“16 months ago we started a very hard road ... a very great proof of love that God gave us ... I promised to love you in Health and in sickness and that I did ... I gave myself to take care of you, give you all my love and make you feel the prince that you were! Although the doctors gave us minimal life expectancies, we decided together to fight and do what we had in our power to overcome the tumor. Today after so many months I can only thank you for the lessons you gave me! You always smiled! You woke up every day thanking heaven for one more day! You never complained! Always with a smile on your face and with the greatest positivism that characterized you !!! That is the greatest gift you can leave us,” Novoa wrote.
Cristina Schwarz, president and general manager of Telemundo 47, said in a statement to NBC New York.“Edgardo del Villar was a talented journalist and gifted storyteller with a smile that lit up the screen. We stood in awe as he fought an incurable disease with remarkable resolve; pushing himself to the limits, returning to the air throughout his treatment and remaining positive and upbeat through it all. He was our inspiration and we loved him.”
In August 2019, del Villar asked his followers to pray after doctors found three tumors on his brain, which required surgery. “I invite you to join in a prayer chain because tomorrow I am undergoing surgery on my brain where they found 3 tumors that we must remove as soon as possible. Thanks for your support,” he wrote on Instagram.
Telemundo 47 shared the news as well. “The beloved presenter, Edgardo del Villar, dies after an arduous fight against cancer. We join together to offer our condolences to Edgardo‘s mother, his brothers, his wife Carolina, and their beloved daughter, Dana Princesa. They will remain forever in our hearts.”