A Venezuelan singer who had just traded romantic ballads for an instrumental piano album was found face down in the pool behind his Weston home.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that the man found dead in the Weston pool was Gustavo Enrique Ormo, 45, the singer, composer and pianist who performed as Gus Ormo and was described as a rising Venezuelan music star. The agency said the Broward Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death and that its own investigation remains “open and active.”
Deputies and Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue crews went to the house around 9 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, after a report of a possible drowning, and found an adult male submerged in the pool. They pronounced him dead at the scene. The sheriff’s office called the circumstances suspicious and brought in Homicide and Crime Scene detectives. Authorities have not confirmed a cause or manner of death.
The Brother Who Found Him
Ormo’s brother made the discovery, and the 911 call released Monday, Oct. 19, captures that moment. Relatives had spent some time trying to reach the musician, with no answer; once their mother grew worried, the brother drove to the house with their parents.
Speaking in Spanish, the brother told the dispatcher that he had arrived about 20 minutes earlier, that he believed Ormo had taken his own life and that he was in the pool. The dispatcher asked how many people were in the water. Only his brother, he answered.
The Rope Nobody Has Explained
What looked like a rope or cord ran from the pool deck down into the water, News footage from the scene showed. Authorities have made no statement about what the object was or whether it had any connection to the death, and the sheriff’s office has not publicly addressed the rope.
Why Answers Could Take Months
An email to the South Florida Sun Sentinel from Thomas Steinkamp, who serves as chief of investigative services for the Broward County Office of Medical Examiner and Trauma Services, said “this matter is the subject of an active criminal investigation.” His office said its review is continuing and requires further testing and study, and that establishing how and why Ormo died could take as long as 90 days.
The sheriff’s office said Monday, Oct. 19, that it had nothing further to share while the investigation is active, and that the medical examiner’s office will determine both the cause and the manner of death.
From Ballads to a Piano Record
Ormo was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, and built a large social media following with Spanish-language ballads, among them “100 Suspiros,” which amassed millions of views. He released the nine-track album “Alquimia” in 2025, then changed course in early October 2026 with “AGAPE,” a six-track instrumental piano record featuring saxophonist Ed Calle and Moto Fukushima.
A project he called “AGAPE Behind the Music” was the subject of the final Instagram post he shared, one day before he was found. At a red-carpet event in Aventura in January 2026, he spoke about being happy with his career and about his Venezuelan roots, and he had written a tribute song to Venezuela built around reconciliation and unity. He had held title to the Quail Roost Drive house for several years, according to Public records, and neighbors said he kept a low profile.
A Sister’s Message of Light
Ormo’s sister, Antonieta Ormo, confirmed his death to CBS Miami on Friday, Oct. 16, telling the station that the family knew little about what may have happened and that the days since had been painful for those closest to him. Reposting a Univision story about her brother’s death on Instagram, she wrote in Spanish, in a comment translated as: “My brother only went to a better plane — a dimension of light and music.”
Calle, who worked on the final album, told Miami New Times: “Gus was a beautiful person, a dear friend, and a hard-working artist pursuing his dream.” Ormo’s warmth and creativity would be missed, he added, and the musician had been focused on sharing messages of love and peace.
The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline takes calls and texts at 988 from anyone in a mental health crisis.