Nelson de la Rosa

Nelson de la Rosa, once recognized as the world’s shortest actor and a ubiquitous good-luck charm for the Boston Red Sox during their victorious 2004 World Series run, died Sunday, his agent said. He was 38. De la Rosa, who stood about 2 feet 4 inches (0.72 meters) tall, died of unknown causes in a New York hospital early Sunday morning, producer Andres Duran told The Associated Press. He fell ill shortly after arriving in Miami on Friday from Chile, where the Dominican national had been working in a circus. On Saturday, he traveled to New York, where two of his brothers live, Duran said. Born and raised in a small village near San Miguel, in Santo Domingo province, the charismatic De la Rosa became internationally known when he appeared alongside actor Marlon Brando in the 1996 film, “The Island of Dr. Moreau.” The Internet Movie Database called him the world’s shortest actor and he was believed to be one of the world’s smallest men. After the baseball fan was introduced to then-Boston ace Pedro Martinez by a mutual friend, the two Dominican men became friends. De la Rosa became a regular presence in the team’s clubhouse in the playoffs of the 2004 season, in which the Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years. De la Rosa’s body will be sent back to the Dominican Republic after an autopsy and could be put on display in a museum, his agent said. De la Rosa is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and a 9-year-old son, Christian, along with his mother and five siblings.