Santiago García, Charlot
Santiago García Díaz, the Las Palmas Carnival Charlot (Charlie Chaplin), was a man who always stood out for his humanity, charm and charisma. He was born in Santa María de Guía, in the north of Gran Canaria, and he always took part in the festivities, even in the era when they were banned. In 1976, with the start of the official Carnival celebrations, he started to dress up as Charlie Chaplin, a personality whom he admired and respected, second to none. Dressed like that, always with his stick, his bowler and his bow tie, and his peculiar gait, he used to walk up and down the streets of the city, greeting the ladies like a true gentleman, full of tenderness towards the little ones and, above all, making everyone laugh.
He died in 2001 at the age of 73, just a few days after the end of that year's Carnival. The Carnival groups and the personalities from the fiestas went to bid him farewell, all in their costumes as he himself always used to say "may my funeral be a party full of Carnival party-goers looking to have a great time".