MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office has yet to release the cause of Gustavo “Gus” Clavijo’s recent death in Miami Beach. But his friends suspect he was a victim of COVID-19, the highly contagious respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus.
Clavijo, 50, loved South Beach nightlife. His friends, who include local DJs, bartenders, night club owners and promoters, said he liked everything from house to disco and he preferred vinyl. The Colombian American had been a regular at Mac’s Club Deuce bar for decades.
Clavijo was usually surrounded by people. He died alone at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Jacqueline Mestre, who had a career in radio, learned of his death on Wednesday.
“I AM ABSOLUTELY HEARTBROKEN & IN TEARS! How I wish I would have been there,” Mestre wrote on Facebook.
It’s the new reality of the coronavirus pandemic. Heather Glassman described how his health deteriorated. She also learned of his death on Wednesday.
“Gus and I spoke every day ... Gus was a healthy happy joyful person before March 20th," Glassman wrote, adding “Gus could not breathe. By the time he decided to take himself to the hospital, he was already too far gone.”
Glassman wrote she took him food on March 24 and lemons on March 27, but she kept her distance.
“He called 911 two times over the past two weeks and both times they told him he would be better off staying home because his fever wasn’t high enough,” Glassman wrote. “I begged him to go to the hospital. He was scared.”