Playwright Jorge Diaz dead at 77

SANTIAGO, Chile, March 21 (UPI) -- Playwright Jorge Diaz, 77, has died of throat cancer in Santiago, Chile.

Known for his political and social satires, Diaz wrote more than 90 plays, including "El Cepillo De Dientes," "El Velero En La Botella" and "El Pirata De Hojalata," Variety said. His last staged production was "El Desvario" in 2006.

He penned numerous children's works, as well as scripts for radio and television. Trained as an architect, Diaz started in the theater industry as a scenery designer, actor and dramatist with the Ictus theater group, the Chilean theater group that presented politcal satire even during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

Diaz, who died March 12, was born in Argentina and lived in Spain from 1965 to 1994.