At the height of her career, Lyn May, the lovely Chinese-Mexican showgirl who starred in nearly 100 films and enthralled presidents, had a stunning surprise that turned everything around.
A normal Botox session gone tragically wrong in the early 1990s, resulting in something else completely changing her appearance instead of the desired procedure.
You might not know Lyn May yet, but in Mexico, she’s a legendary figure. Known as “The Goddess of Love,” May has an extraordinary life story that’s as captivating as her career.
Renowned for captivating audiences, this brilliant symbol of the Mexican film industry is even said to have possessed the power to charm presidents. You won’t want to miss her incredible journey, so let’s get going!
The American sailor
Lilia Guadalupe Mendiola Mayares was the birth name of Lyn May in 1952. She is of Chinese descent and is originally from Acapulco, Mexico.
She had to make financial contributions to support her family from an early age and discovered that nothing good comes for free. She raised her family’s income as a child by selling trinkets to visitors. As she grew older, she took a job as a waitress, which would permanently alter her life. She met her first true love, an American sailor who was thirty years older, while working at this job.
The couple was irreconcilable despite their age difference. After Lyn and her new husband relocated to Mexico City, they raised two daughters together. But five years later, Lyn filed for divorce, claiming her husband had sexually and physically assaulted their kids.
Breakthrough
Lyn May moved to Acapulco after divorcing her American husband and started working as a dancer. Lyn May was a striking figure when she danced in a miniskirt, even though she had minimal formal instruction.
What began as a straightforward job soon led to more lucrative prospects. She soon became visible on Mexican television when she made an appearance on the renowned program Siempre en Domingo. Lyn May became well-known throughout the region thanks to this program, which was among the most significant and well-liked TV series in Latin America.
Renowned theater owner Teatro Esperanza Iris, Enrique Lombardini, became interested in her as she gained prominence. Lyn was first apprehensive with his suggestion to act in his burlesque shows. When she didn’t completely strip on stage, the audience jeered her, demonstrating her reluctance.
But in just one week Lyn adopted the burlesque look, and when she eventually stripped off on stage, the audience erupted in excitement. Wikipedia claims that it infuriated the masculine audience. Lombardini bestowed upon her the moniker “Lyn May: The Goddess of Love,” impressed by her influence. She rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s Ficheras film genre, which told lighthearted and sometimes controversial stories of working-class Mexicans getting into sexual adventures.
However, Lyn May gradually lost prominence as the box office appeal of Ficheras’s films declined.
However, she triumphantly returned to television in the late 1990s.
Lyn May always commanded attention with her outspoken demeanor, whether it was through her audacious remarks or her arresting public acts.
She made cameos in major TV series, documentaries, and music videos, reminding everyone of the special charm that had made her a celebrity.
Dug up her husband
Following the breakdown of her turbulent marriage to her American spouse, Lyn May rekindled her love affair with billionaire Antonio Chi Su. Following their 1989 wedding, the pair co-owned and operated a Chinese eatery in Mexico City. They had a close relationship, but in 2004 Chi Su was tragically diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Chi Su tragically died in 2008, although the couple courageously battled the illness together for a number of years.
Lyn May was so overcome with sadness that she turned to drastic means to get through her loss. She addressed startling rumors that had been circulating about her in an open interview on the program El Minuto Que Cambió Mi Destino. With courage, Lyn admitted that she had indeed dug up her husband’s body and carried it home, adding that she had even slept next to his bones.
”I lived with him for 25 years; it was a 25-year marriage, and I didn’t want to let him go. I loved him… Yes, I dug him up and slept beside him,” Lyn May confessed.
”My mother fought with me every day, she told me, ‘You are not going to let him rest.’ We fought every day because I would not let go of him.”
Lyn was ultimately persuaded to let go by her mother. Lyn May did not disclose the length of time she spent living with her husband’s body or her eventual process of moving on.
Affair with the president
Speaking of bold claims, Lyn May once asserted that she had an affair with a former Mexican president, albeit she withheld his identity.
The President in question is suspected to be José López Portillo, who was also reported to have dated and eventually married the actress Sasha Montenegro.
Lyn May wed film producer Guillermo Calderón Stell in 2008, and the two stayed together until his passing in 2018.
Pregnant at 68
Lyn May made headlines once more in August 2021 with an astounding announcement. The 68-year-old woman said that she was expecting a child, and her fiancé, Markos D1, 29, is said to be the father.
A few weeks later, Lyn May thrilled her fans by sharing an intimate look inside her pregnancy. She boldly displayed her due date of January 12, 2022, in a short video that she shared online of her baby ultrasound.
It seems logical that the news attracted attention from throughout the world. The oldest confirmed mother is María del Carmen Bousada Lara of Spain, according to Guinness World Records. in the age of sixty-six, she gave birth to twin sons in Sant Pau Hospital in Barcelona through cesarean section in 2006. Should Lyn May’s pregnancy be a success, she would break this mark. To put things in perspective, 539 births among moms over 50 were recorded in the US between 1997 and 1999.
But it didn’t take long to realize that things might not have been as they seemed. Soon after becoming engaged to Markos D1 (real name: Marcos Hernandez), Lyn May started to remove articles about her engagement and pregnancy. Originally, Lyn May had stated that she was planning to marry him.
It came to light that Lyn May’s suggestion that the relationship with Marcos was serious may not have been accurate. The singer Markos, who resides in California, claimed to Newsweek that he and Lyn May could only have became pregnant after one night of intoxication.
”We never had an actual relationship,” he said. ”It was kind of curious to me, because I did go to Mexico to the Pepsi Center, to an event that we were invited to. We drank. I drank so much that I don’t even know what happened that night. It was just crazy.”
”And then… she never told me anything. I was just getting [messages] on my Instagram, like, ‘Happy that you’re gonna be a dad,’ and it just went crazy.”
Marcos Hernandez then disclosed to Newsweek that he had spoken with Lyn May about the matter. The Mexican dancer and actress admitted to fabricating the pregnancy rumor as a publicity gimmick for her impending farewell tour, according to Marcos.
Truth about her face
Lyn May is an exotic dancer and actress who has always paid close attention to how she looks. Her captivating beauty and her ability to captivate men are evident in these early images.
The search for beauty has not, however, been without difficulties. At first, Lyn looked to cosmetic surgery to improve the aspects of her face, such her jawline and cheekbones. However, a disastrous attempt of hers haunts her to this day.
Lyn was approached by a con artist who claimed to be able to revitalize her appearance, according to OkChicas. She was young and gullible when she fell for the con artist’s bait. Rather than getting the promised collagen injections, which are a popular and transient procedure for less wrinkles and smoother skin, Lyn was given injections of water, baby oil, or cooking oil.
The ugly lumps that are still there on her face now are the outcome. Lyn decided to have plastic surgery in her 30s in an attempt to undo the harm. Regretfully, things grew worse before they got better. Even though the surgeon was only able to remove a tiny bit of the oil that had stained Lyn’s face, the experience left a painful reminder of her desire for beauty.
Even with all of the setbacks—such as the regrettable cosmetic error and the media attention she received—Lyn May is still a fascinating and resilient person.
Her narrative explores the difficulties of facing one’s own path and the pursuit of fame and beauty, in addition to the intricacies of personal struggle.
