Cervera Sales Director Nelson Rios dies at 46

UPDATED, Oct. 29, 3:45 p.m.: Cervera Real Estate Sales Director Nelson Rios died last week at the age of 46.

Rios died on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 8:30 a.m., according to Miami-Dade County’s medical examiner’s office.

Rios, a senior manager, most recently handled sales of Smart Brickell, a mixed-use hotel and residential project. He worked for Cervera for about 15 years, Alicia Cervera Lamadrid, managing partner and principal of the company, said. A memorial is planned for Monday afternoon at St. Hugh Catholic Church.

Rios previously was also director of sales of Centro in downtown Miami and BrickellHouse, a condo building in Brickell, and worked on projects that include The Plaza on Brickell and 500 Brickell, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Cervera Lamadrid, who said she was very close to Rios, called him “a phenomenal ambassador for the company” – in the U.S. and abroad – and said he was “an exceptional family man.” Rios received a number of company awards, including “Outstanding Development Sales Leadership” and “Cervera Development Top Producer Club – Platinum Circle” in 2016.

The family did not publicly reveal the cause of death.

Rios was born on June 15, 1972 in Los Teques, Venezuela. He moved to the United States in 1994, and met his wife, Adriana Rios, about two years later. He’s survived by his wife and two children.

A GoFundMe page created by Cervera had raised $29,395 for his children’s education as of Monday morning. Donors include Jesse Otley, president of Cervera’s development division, Italkraft president Alex Xakoustis, Alicia Lamadrid Paysse, Director of Sales Sildy Cervera and Miami Real Estate Group broker Andres Asion.

A number of real estate agents expressed their condolences on Facebook. “He was so sweet, always eager to help other agents grow and succeed. Successful but without the huge ego,” wrote Sarah Elles Boggs, an agent with Douglas Elliman.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Rios’ most recent project.