Photo: Lyanessbar | instagram
Text: Fede Gayardo
Bartender Alexandra ‘Lexie’ Constantinescu, of Romanian origin, died in a hotel in Havana after participating in the Havana Cocktail Maestros de Havana Club contest.
Living in London, Lexie worked for the Lyaness bar, and was one of the British finalists of the competition along with her colleague Shreya Basu, thus obtaining a place in the final held in the Cuban capital.
According to international press reports, Constantinescu extended her trip beyond the competition and her body was found in the hotel where she was staying on April 20.
Until now, no official information about the bartender’s death has been offered in the state media.
One of her colleagues, Pedro Montero, took to Instagram to pay tribute to Lexie and ask for explanations about the terrible event.
“It all happened last Saturday morning when the Havana Club team found his body. “This is a very important matter and we hoped to be informed immediately about it, especially since his parents were not present at that time,” the bartender also began saying on the social network.
He then added that “we hoped they would have stayed to find out what exactly happened to her, but they all left the country. However, it was only three days later that we received news through the embassy that she had died, with no explanation as to how or why it happened.”
More than a week after the death of her friend and colleague, Montero insisted that “we are still anxiously awaiting a final result that may shed some light on the circumstances surrounding her death. “The lack of information has only increased our pain and confusion, and we hope we can get closure soon.”
The official account on this social network of the Lyaness bar where Lexie worked also offered its condolences: “We are all heartbroken by the sad news about Lexie. It’s so hard to calculate when you’ve been dealing with so much vitality and warmth and emotion to find out that you won’t be able to share that again.”
Likewise, her teammate, Shreya Basu, paid tribute through Instagram: “Thank you for always bringing out the best in each other. You were always the brightest smile in the room, with the loudest laugh and the reddest hair, never hard to notice. As I return to work in the four walls we called home, I will think of you and how you had the ability to brighten anyone’s day with the smallest conversation.”
Finally, it has been learned that Lexie’s family created an Internet fundraiser to ask for support with the transfer of the young woman’s body.
“We reach out to you during a time of heartbreaking loss to ask for your support. Lexie’s unexpected passing has left us all in shock and we now face the challenge of bringing her home from Cuba to rest. Any contribution she can make will greatly help her family handle this unexpected burden and will be deeply appreciated as we navigate this difficult journey together,” she reads in the text accompanying the fundraiser.
