Netflix star José de la Torre has died at the age of 37 – months after telling fans he was suffering from a serious illness.

The photogenic actor played Iván in popular series Toy Boy, a Spanish thriller series about a stripper who is jailed for a murder he did not commit.

José, from Montilla in Spain’s Córdoba Province, had also worked as a model for a number of jewellery and fashion brands.

Reports suggest he died on Thursday December 5, and his funeral was held the following day.

Spanish actress Luisa Martín was among those to pay tribute to José, writing on social media: ‘It breaks my heart to think I’ll never hear your voice again, but I’ll keep talking to you. Love you endlessly, José.’

The actor had been diagnosed with an unspecified ‘serious illness’ in June that had kept him out of the limelight.

De la Torre was best known for playing Iván, one of the main characters in Toy Boy, which was released in 2019 and ran for two seasons.

He also acted in a number of other domestic series including Amar es para siempre (To Love is Forever), Vis a Vis: El Oasis, and Servir y proteger (Serve and Protect). 

Netflix star José de la Torre has died at the age of 37 – months after telling fans he was suffering from a serious illness

The actor had also modelled for a number of jewellery and fashion brands prior to his death 

The actor was best known for his appearance in Spanish Netflix drama Toy Boy (pictured) but also acted in several domestic serials

José de la Torres in the Netflix series Toy Boy. The show is filmed in Spanish but available in the UK 

de la Torré had 459,000 followers on Instagram and he had posted regularly until June this year

Cristina Castaño, with whom he starred in Toy Boy, said she was ‘in shock’ when she heard the news. 

His last post was on 3 June and shows him enjoying a music festival in the Canary Islands.

It is captioned: ‘The joy of arriving in the Canary Islands, seeing your friends, grabbing a mojito, and singing your heart out until you lose your voice.’

The post was littered with tributes from fans, who shared emojis of flying doves and broken hearts alongside their thoughts.

‘It can’t be, I don’t believe it,’ one wrote. 

Another, Marta Martinez-Bordiu, said: ‘My dear friend, you can’t imagine how sad I am to receive such terrible news.

‘It’s not fair, you deserved more time, nobody enjoyed life like you, your energy, your light… you are a very special person, always happy and eager to have a good time and do things.

‘It can’t be true that I won’t see you again and that we won’t go out partying again. I’m going to miss you very much, my friend. I love you very much.’

Among those to also pay tribute to de la Torre was Spanish actress and singer Lolita Flores, who said the actor had left a lasting impression. 

She wrote on Instagram: ‘How hard it is for me to accept that you’re gone, without even knowing you.

‘We shared very few hours, but your 37 years hurt me. Life is so unfair sometimes. You’re handsome on the outside and on the inside.

‘Your departure hurts me… and the pain of those who loved you hurts me. I didn’t have time to love you, but I did have time to get to know you.

‘Heaven awaits you with open arms. How sad. You’ve gone too soon.’

The Spanish actor had reportedly been diagnosed with an unspecified illness in the summer 

The exact nature of his illness was never confirmed. Spanish media reports suggest he led an intensely private life outside of his work in TV

Spanish actress Lolita Flores paid tribute to him online, writing that he had been ‘handsome (on the) outside and inside’

De la Torre (right) in Toy Boy. He appeared in 21 episodes of the two-series saga on Netflix

De la Torre was a graduate of the Málaga Higher School of Performing Arts in Spain and latterly made Málaga is home.

His first starring role was in a music video for a song by Nena Daconte more than a decade ago.

He once told local media of his decision to become an actor: ‘From a very young age, I found solace in cinema – though not so much in acting, at least not at first. 

‘I was a child who couldn’t stop watching films, purely for the joy of it.

‘But that captivated me and planted the seed that would later grow into my desire to pursue it as a career.’

The nature of his diagnosis has not been reported. Spanish media reports said the actor had led an intensely private life outside of his work in television.