BEVERLY HILLS—Kjell Rasten, 79, the husband to Spanish-American singer Charo, 68, died on Monday, February 18 due to an apparent suicide. According to reports, he died from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the couple’s Beverly Hills home.
Charo and Rasten were married for 40 years and have one child, Shel Rasten, 37. Rasten was a TV producer in the 1970s and 1980s.
Charo release the following statement via Instagram that read:
“Kjell, My husband of forty years and the love of my life killed himself. There are no words to describe what we are feeling now. He was an amazing man, a great husband and the best father I could imagine to our son. He dedicated his life to loving and supporting his family. In recent years, his health began to decline and he developed a rare and horrible skin disease called Bullous Pemphigoid.”
“He also became very depressed. That, along with the many medications he needed to take, became too much for him, and he ended his suffering,” Charo added.
According to the Beverly Hills Police Department, officers arrived at the home around 12:30 p.m. to respond to the call of a man who was suffering life-threatening injuries. Rasten was rushed to a hospital immediately where he died from his injuries at around 1:00 p.m. TMZ, who was the first outlet to report the death, noted that Charo was at the home at the time of the incident. An official cause of death has not yet been disclosed to the public.
In her Instagram post, Charo says, “None of us had any idea this could happen to such a wonderful, kind and generous man. Please, if anyone you know and love is suffering from depression or illness, hold them close, tell them you love them with all your heart and that the world is better because they are in it. Get any help you can. Suicide is not the answer.”
