Francisco San Martin’s story was one of movement, reinvention, and quiet determination. Born in Mallorca and raised in Montana, he moved between continents and careers, modeling in Spain before fighting his way onto stages and screens. In the U.S., he carved out a niche in daytime television, first catching attention on Days of Our Lives as Dario Hernandez, then returning to soap fans’ living rooms on The Bold and the Beautiful as Mateo, the charming groundskeeper tangled in scheming storylines.

Offscreen, he was remembered not as a headline, but as “Pepe,” a friend who made concert memories unforgettable and gym encounters feel familiar. Co-stars and colleagues described a warm, generous presence whose death at 39 feels brutally out of step with the life he was still building. His loss is a reminder that even those who seem to be living the dream may be fighting battles no one can see.