Where Is 'Love Boat' Star Charo Now? Exactly Where You Think She'd Be!

When you think of María Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza, you probably don't recognize the name. But you might recognize her stage name: Charo.

As a frequent television star through the '70s and early '80s, including on the popular show The Love Boat, Charo made a name for herself as a singer, performer, and sometimes as a comedian.

But what is the Love Boat star up to now? She's alive and well, and doing exactly what you would expect this larger-than-life septuagenarian to be doing.

Charo has always been known best for her huge personality and bubbly and fun approach to life. As an omnipresent star through the '70s and the early '80s, she's instantly recognizable to everyone over a certain age.

But what has she been up to these days?

Unsurprisingly, she's doing exactly what you might expect: dancing, singing, and spreading positivity. On her social media, Charo shares videos of herself performing and exercising. In one bubble video, she captioned it, "When You Feel DEPRESS and DOWN: Dress Cute and BAILA . BAILA . BAILA . And Soon You Will Feel UP UP UP. Because Music and Dark Chocolate Are our BEST FRIEND."

Charo's husband, Kjel Rasten, died by suicide in 2019, per People. A few months after he died, an ever-optimistic Charo shared, “I have a plan. I want to change the world. I know what I want, what I want is what people want.”

But life hasn't only been about floating across stages and encouraging people to move and feel good. Charo is a mother, of her now-adult son Shel Rasten, who is the spitting image of his mother. Although Shel's father has passed away, the duo seems to have remained close and are candid about the fun and supportive relationship they share. Which may also be a little embarrassing.

In one interview on the OWN network, Shel was asked what it was like to grow up with a larger-than-life mother like Charo. "She's what she is," he explained simply, "she's my mom." He added that she is, "honest and fierce and very protective, and supportive to an incredible extent."

He said he couldn't imagine having a better mother than Charo, to which she replied, "I appreciate it very much." He added, "You're a very good mother. You're slightly embarrassing sometimes." He mused, "especially in high school. Can you imagine having this," he jokingly gestured to his now-dancing mother, "in high school?"

He shared that on his first day of high school, she dropped her off with all the pizazz and sparkle that Charo is known for, "and that was it," he joked, "I was not cool."

But despite his mom's penchant for embarrassing Shel, they seem to have a warm and loving relationship, which fits the personality Charo has shown the world since she first struck it big.