Jorge Kahwagi Macari, Mexican Businessman and Former Lawmaker, Dies at 58

Jorge Antonio Kahwagi Macari, a Mexican businessman, lawyer, former professional boxer and two-time federal deputy, died on September 30, 2026, at the age of 58, according to Mexican outlets El Financiero and El Universal; Spanish Wikipedia states he died in Mexico City. He was born on May 28, 1968, in Mexico City, the son of businessman Jorge Kahwagi Gastine, El Universal reported.

No government agency or family representative had published an official cause of death at the time of reporting. El Universal and Hola both stated that the cause remained undisclosed, while noting that Kahwagi had previously reported a ruptured ulcer in April 2019, from which he recovered after medical treatment.

A career across politics, boxing and media

Kahwagi held a degree in Business Administration from Universidad Iberoamericana and a law degree from UNAM, according to El Financiero. He served as corporate director and shareholder of Grupo Empresarial Periodístico, and at the time of his death was vice president of the newspaper La Crónica de Hoy, alongside Fernando Marón Kahwagi, per El Universal.

His political career spanned two parties and two periods as a federal deputy. He first sat in the Chamber of Deputies for the Partido Verde Ecologista de México (PVEM, Green Ecologist Party) during the LIX Legislature; El Financiero and Spanish Wikipedia both date this deputy term, during which he served as parliamentary coordinator, to 2003–2004, while Hola states he was a PVEM member from 2001 to 2006. He later joined Partido Nueva Alianza, where he served first as secretary general and then as national party president; El Universal and Hola both place his presidency between 2007 and 2011, while Wikipedia dates it more precisely to August 28, 2007 – June 30, 2011. El Financiero reports he returned to the Chamber of Deputies for Nueva Alianza via proportional representation from 2009 to 2012, again serving as parliamentary coordinator in August 2011. He later ran as an independent candidate, according to Wikipedia.

Kahwagi also had a professional boxing career. Spanish Wikipedia records 11 victories, all by knockout, between 2001 and 2005, and says he held Mexican and international cruiserweight titles; the same source notes public accusations that he faced only low-level opponents and allegations that some matches were arranged, without attributing this to a specific named accuser. El Financiero reports he turned professional in 2001 and became Latin American and Mexican cruiserweight champion by 2003, while Hola dates his Mexican cruiserweight title to 2002.

In 2004, Kahwagi took a leave of absence from Congress to appear on the reality show Big Brother VIP, according to Hola.

Death follows his father's by six months

Kahwagi's father, Jorge Kahwagi Gastine, president of Grupo Crónica and the newspaper La Crónica de Hoy, died on March 23, 2026, at age 85, El Universal reported. Jorge Kahwagi Macari died roughly six months later.

Reactions from politics, boxing and entertainment

Senator Manuel Velasco Coello, who served alongside Kahwagi as a federal deputy, announced the death on social media and offered condolences to the family, El Universal reported. The Chamber of Deputies observed a moment of silence, with Mesa Directiva president Raúl Bolaños Cacho acknowledging Kahwagi's legislative work.

Actor Roberto Palazuelos also posted condolences, according to Hola, which additionally reported sympathy messages from actress Maribel Guardia, former Mexico City mayor and senator Miguel Ángel Mancera, and World Boxing Council president Mauricio Sulaimán.