Support Ozzie's Family
Donation protected
The amazing Ozzie Castillo of The Hammer and Adam Carolla fame succumbed to COVID-19 on Friday night 03-19-2021. Such a bright light extinguished way too soon. Never without a smile, a kind word or a gesture, Ozzie brought so much joy to everyone who crossed his path.
Ozzie was a medic in the military in Nicaragua. During the revolution, he was sent to North Korea to complete his medical schooling. Once he got there, they changed his career to military. He was involved in bringing AK48 rifles from a US ship back to his country for the revolution. He had to hide in the jungle from the Sandinistas and eventually escaped , fleeing his war-torn and corrupt regime in Nicaragua. Once in Mexico, he emigrated to the US where he was granted political asylum. That was in 1986. Twenty years later, he ended up on the big screen in the Indie film, "The Hammer". Truly an American dream story.
Once in LA, Ozzie began doing seismic work and then construction, even though he was a paramedic in Nicaragua. His construction work introduced him to Adam Carolla and the two collaborated on numerous projects over the course of 30 years. When Adam got into show business, Ozzie came along, appearing on "The Man Show" and eventually became Adam's radio sidekick, making thousands of listeners laugh on KLSX, 97.1, Adam's radio show., in addition to feeding everyone his famous flapsteak. Ozzie was a master at the Barbecue.
In 2006, Adam wrote a semi-autobiographical buddy pic/ romantic comedy called "The Hammer" and cast Ozzie to play himself. The film premiered in 2007 at the Arclight Hollywood and the Tribeca Film Festival in NY. Ozzie was everyone's favorite, exuding his natural charm, naiveté, and good nature. Pure comic gold. He kept us all laughing on set during the filming. He also appeared in "The Adam Carolla Project", 2 television pilots and a Pacifica Beer commercial afterwards, but continued to support himself and his family with his construction work.
Everyone he encountered couldn't help but be charmed by Ozzie's perpetual smile, generous nature and hilarious sense of humor. I met Ozzie on "The Hammer" and was fortunate to work with him on the subsequent pilots, and then hired him to do some work on my house. Over the years, Ozzie took good care of me - always coming to my aid whenever I had a problem. He became the grill-meister at many barbecues and was always a welcome guest at my table. As Adam mentioned in his podcast on March 22nd, Ozzie was also incredibly thoughtful. He frequently showed up at my house with things he had picked up along the way that he thought I'd like.
As his family grieves this tragic loss, please help support them so they can afford the funeral costs and other expenses related to his passing. Please give what you can, no matter how small. It all adds up.
Ozzie, you will never be forgotten.
Help Share this fundraiser so we can reach his fans and friends around the world.
Thank you.
Ozzie was a medic in the military in Nicaragua. During the revolution, he was sent to North Korea to complete his medical schooling. Once he got there, they changed his career to military. He was involved in bringing AK48 rifles from a US ship back to his country for the revolution. He had to hide in the jungle from the Sandinistas and eventually escaped , fleeing his war-torn and corrupt regime in Nicaragua. Once in Mexico, he emigrated to the US where he was granted political asylum. That was in 1986. Twenty years later, he ended up on the big screen in the Indie film, "The Hammer". Truly an American dream story.
Once in LA, Ozzie began doing seismic work and then construction, even though he was a paramedic in Nicaragua. His construction work introduced him to Adam Carolla and the two collaborated on numerous projects over the course of 30 years. When Adam got into show business, Ozzie came along, appearing on "The Man Show" and eventually became Adam's radio sidekick, making thousands of listeners laugh on KLSX, 97.1, Adam's radio show., in addition to feeding everyone his famous flapsteak. Ozzie was a master at the Barbecue.
In 2006, Adam wrote a semi-autobiographical buddy pic/ romantic comedy called "The Hammer" and cast Ozzie to play himself. The film premiered in 2007 at the Arclight Hollywood and the Tribeca Film Festival in NY. Ozzie was everyone's favorite, exuding his natural charm, naiveté, and good nature. Pure comic gold. He kept us all laughing on set during the filming. He also appeared in "The Adam Carolla Project", 2 television pilots and a Pacifica Beer commercial afterwards, but continued to support himself and his family with his construction work.
Everyone he encountered couldn't help but be charmed by Ozzie's perpetual smile, generous nature and hilarious sense of humor. I met Ozzie on "The Hammer" and was fortunate to work with him on the subsequent pilots, and then hired him to do some work on my house. Over the years, Ozzie took good care of me - always coming to my aid whenever I had a problem. He became the grill-meister at many barbecues and was always a welcome guest at my table. As Adam mentioned in his podcast on March 22nd, Ozzie was also incredibly thoughtful. He frequently showed up at my house with things he had picked up along the way that he thought I'd like.
As his family grieves this tragic loss, please help support them so they can afford the funeral costs and other expenses related to his passing. Please give what you can, no matter how small. It all adds up.
Ozzie, you will never be forgotten.
Help Share this fundraiser so we can reach his fans and friends around the world.
Thank you.
Organizer and beneficiary
Sharon Swab
Organizer
Burbank, CA
Henrry Castillo
Beneficiary