'Desperate Housewives' actress Ontiveros dies

By Lorena Blas, USA TODAY

July 29, 2012

'Desperate Housewives' actress Ontiveros dies
Actress Lupe Ontiveros of the television show 'Rob' speaks during the CBS portion of the 2012 Television Critics Association Press Tour at The Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa in January in Pasadena, Calif. (Credit: By Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images)

Actress Lupe Ontiveros, 69, who appeared in many TV shows such as Desperate Housewives and Rob and movies such as Selena, Real Women Have Curves and As Good As It Gets, has died.

Ontiveros died Thursday at a hospital in Whittier, Calif., a suburb southeast of Los Angeles, after a brief battle with liver cancer, according to longtime friend and family spokesman Jerry Velasco, reports the Associated Press.

In the 1997 biopic based on the life story of the Tejano pop star Selena Quintanilla, Ontiveros played Yolanda Saldivar, who in real life was convicted of killing the singer. Jennifer Lopez played the title role in Selena.

"I've enjoyed her work throughout the years," Lopez said in a statement, according to the AP. "She was a great actress and working with her in Selena was an unforgettable experience. She will truly be missed."

Ontiveros is survived by her husband, three sons and two granddaughters, reports AP.

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