By Annie Martin
The Orlando Sentinel
ORLANDO, Fla. — An attraction operator at Universal Orlando, Luis Vielma always went above and beyond for the park’s guests — and his friends.
“He was always a friend you could call,” said Josh Boesch, who worked with Vielma at Universal. “He was always open and available.”
Vielma, 22, posted on social media about going to Pulse the night he died, Boesch said.
Vielma’s family couldn’t be reached for comment Sunday, but dozens of friends mourned his death on social media. The last publicly posted photo on his Facebook profile shows a group of young people posing in front of Cinderella’s Castle at Magic Kingdom with the caption “True friends who become family.”
Vielma held several roles at Universal, said Boesch, including running the former Disaster! attraction and, most recently, the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride.
Luis Vielma worked on the Harry Potter ride at Universal. He was 22 years old. I can’t stop crying. #Orlando pic.twitter.com/Nz2ZCWxNsS
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 13, 2016
Olga Glomba, who also said she worked with Vielma at Universal, wrote in an email that he was “always there, without fail.”
“He was a true friend,” Glomba wrote. “A funny, sweet, nerdy guy without a mean side. He just wanted to make people smile.”
Beyond Universal, Vielma also talked about his plans to become an EMT, Boesch said. Vielma’s Facebook page said he attended Seminole State College.
From the President and COO of Universal Orlando Resort pic.twitter.com/OmuNmUORpQ
— Universal Orlando (@UniversalORL) June 13, 2016
“He was always caring and he always wanted to learn more,” Boesch said.
Copyright 2016 The Orlando Sentinel