‘Ugly Betty’ creator reportedly found dead in Miami-Dade

MIAMI – Silvio Horta, a screenwriter and television producer who was best known for co-creating ABC’s “Ugly Betty,” was reportedly found shot dead on Tuesday in a motel room in Miami-Dade County. Variety and People Magazine reported it was a suspected suicide. The Miami native was 45.

America Ferrera starred in the sitcom based on the Colombian telenovela “Yo Soy Betty La Fea” from 2006 to 2010. She mourned the loss Tuesday night on Instagram.

“I’m stunned and heartbroken to hear the devastating news of Ugly Betty creator, Silvio Horta’s death,” Ferrera wrote. “His talent and creativity brought me and so many others such joy & light. I’m thinking of his family and loved ones who must be in so much pain right now- and of the whole Ugly Betty family who feel this loss so deeply.”

Horta, who is of Cuban descent, was born in Miami-Dade County and graduated from Coral Gables Senior High School in 1992. He attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and moved to Los Angeles in 1996.

Horta’s first success was with the script for “Urban Legend,” a 1998 slasher film starring Jared Leto. He was nominated for an Emmy for outstanding comedy series in 2007.

Horta is survived by his mother, Ana Horta.

Shortly after Variety’s report on Tuesday night, the Miami Beach Police Department tweeted the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.