The comedy world is mourning Joe Luna or Joe El Cholo as he was known on stage. The Los Angeles comedian lost his battle with COVID-19 just days after documenting his battle with the virus online.
The 38-year-old, who believed that he contracted coronavirus from his mother-in-law, wanted his bout with the illness to serve as a cautionary tale for his followers and loved ones who may not be taking coronavirus as seriously as they should. On November 21st, he posted a 35-minute video on his Instagram, where he admitted to doubting the virus’s serious impacts. The video was meant to be the first in a series of videos that would take his followers through his recovery journey. Sadly, he passed away two days later in Victor Valley Global Medical Center.
“When I would hear people talk about what COVID did to them, I always thought to myself, man, you know what, I doubted it was that bad,” Luna confessed. “I’ll tell you guys right now, I’ve been put in a fight. I’ve been fighting for my life.”
His son, Jose Talavera, who also tested positive for COVID-19, said that his father’s condition worsened, particularly within his lungs.
“It was like his lungs were hurting more than we all felt before,” Talavera said.
Luna, who was a double amputee, performed in several comedy clubs across Pasadena and Hollywood. In the IG clip, he said that his many health issues only fueled the fire, causing him several trips to the hospital.
“Not only did I test positive for COVID, I have pneumonia. I’m a double amputee, and I’m a diabetic, so I’m dealing with a lot.”
Luna also slammed people in Los Angeles who refused to wear face masks to slow the virus’s spread.
“Are we that irresponsible not to even care about our kids, our grandma and grandpa?” he asked in the video that attracted over 60,000 views.
He revealed that he experienced excruciating pain, loss of taste, violent shakes, and even fainted at one point. Luna was dedicated to showing his fans the good and the bad of the process.
“I’m going to show you guys my journey through my good and bad times because it’s all about showing my people out there if you think that COVID is a joke if you think this won’t be you…then trust me, it hits everybody differently.”
“It’s very scary, guys, you know, out there. Take care of yourselves. Wear your mask. It doesn’t make you look stupid if you wear your mask. If anything, it makes you look concerned. It makes you know that ‘hey, I’m not trying to go through that,’” he added.
A GoFundMe page to cover his funeral costs raised $2,445 raised of the $5,000 goal. His funeral is set for Saturday, December 5th, 2020.
The United States has seen more than 267,000 COVID-19 deaths, and more than 13 million confirmed cases.
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