'Elite' Star Julian Ortega Dead at 41, Collapses On Beach

Julian Ortega -- star of the viral Netflix show "Elite" -- has died ... after collapsing on a beach in Spain, despite lifeguards' best efforts to save him.

The actor passed away Sunday afternoon, according to officials in Spain.

Initial reports indicated the actor drowned -- but authorities tell TMZ the 41-year-old actually went into cardiac arrest on the shore.

Spain's Directorate-General of the Civil Guard tells us he died predictably due to a heart attack in Barbate, a town on the Atlantic Coast.

Lifeguards attempted to revive him for half an hour before he was pronounced dead on scene. There were no signs of violence, authorities said.

Julian rose to prominence on the Spanish drama "Elite" playing the manager of the restaurant "La Cabana" on the show in a handful of episodes back in 2018.

Ortega also has credits for other popular Spanish language shows like "4 estrellas," "The Countryside," "Untameable," "Velvet," "Nunc et in Hora," "Caronte," and more.

Julian was 41.