Raul Davalos Dies: ‘Empire’ & ‘Gilmore Girls’ Film Editor Was 62
Film editor Raul Davalos, whose work on TV’s Empire and such films as Benny & Joon and Dreamcatcher was widely respected, has died. He was 62 and passed away at Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, CA after being diagnosed with a brain tumor in December. His family confirmed the death.
Davalos and wife Cindy Fret were both employed on Empire since the show’s 2015 debut. They had met in 2003 and were to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary on New Year’s Eve. Fret was born in Havana and came to the U.S. as a child. Davalos attended Loyola University in New Orleans and London Film School, then moved to Los Angeles in the 1980s.
His mentor was Oscar nominee Carol Littleton (E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial), and he worked with her on such films as Silverado, Wyatt Earp and China Moon among others.
Davalos later worked on the documentary Chuck Berry Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll, Destiny Turns on the Radio, Guillermo del Toro’s Cronos, Meet Wally Sparks, and The Amateurs. He also worked on the WB Network’s Gilmore Girls throughout its seven-season run, and edited such TV shows as Amazing Stories, Bunheads, Heroes, The Glades, Reign and Jane the Virgin.
Survivors include his wife, Cindy; children Alina and Alex; and brother Mario. A GoFundMe page has been created to help his family with expenses.
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