Mónica Santa María

Mónica Santa María
Born	Mónica Janette Santa María Smith 6 December 1972 Miraflores, Lima, Perú
Died	13 March 1994 (aged 21) La Molina, Lima, Perú
Occupation	Television host, model
Years active	1982–1994

Mónica Janette Santa María Smith (6 December 1972 – 13 March 1994) was a Peruvian model and TV hostess. She was born in Lima, Peru, and became very popular when she hosted the Peruvian children's TV show Nubeluz.

Biography

The second daughter of Danilo Santa María, a Peruvian, and Judith Smith, a Canadian, Mónica attended the Colegio Nuestra Señora del Carmen, a Catholic private school in Miraflores. At the age of nine, she started her professional career as a model by starring her first TV commercial. At the age of eleven, she did a TV commercial for a well-known shampoo named "Ammen". This commercial is still remembered by many Peruvians. When she turned 13, she became the main model for Peruvian cosmetic company Yanbal.

After successfully finishing the school in December 1989, she was elected for being one of the animators of the children'S TV show Nubeluz. She and Almendra Gomelsky hosted Nubeluz from late 1990 to early 1994. Both were named "Dalinas", this was a short word for "Dama Linda" which means "Pretty Lady". Nubeluz was watched by more than 24 million Spanish-speaking people, and it was translated into other languages like English, Turkish and Chinese. After a short time in the air, the show became a success.

Death

Mónica Santa María was found dead on her bed on 14 March 1994. The police concluded that she shot herself with a gun between 2:30 am and 3:00 am on March 13. Monica left a message on Constantino's cellphone, in this message it was clear to hear her intention to commit suicide. She had been dead for 32 hours when her body was found. After Mónica's death Nubeluz began to decline until it ended in the summer of 1996. Monica was buried in the cemetery Jardines de la Paz in La Molina, Lima, Perú.