Local Tortilla Maker, Social Media Star Killed In Crash: Reports

WEST DUNDEE, IL — A local tortilla maker and social media star— who is being remembered for his charisma, sense of humor and kindness — has been identified as the man killed last week in a motorcycle crash in West Dundee.

Roque Hernan Lopez, known to all as Rocky, was a man of many talents and spent time working in construction, acting and as a truck driver and CDL instructor. Lopez, of Lake in the Hills, became known locally for videos he posted on social media, which showed him at work making his tortillas, delivering them and talking openly about life and tortilla making.

The quirky videos helped quickly boost sales when he relaunched his business in 2016.

“That’s why people buy my tortillas. Because of all the videos I make,” said Lopez in a 2016 video.

He was hard not to like and had an infectious personality. He was hard not to miss — he had tattoos on his face, which included the word “faith” on his temple and the names of his five children on his cheekbones, the Daily Herald reported in 2016.

He may have looked intimidating on the surface, but had a heart of gold, family members said. .

"They say you can't judge a book by its cover, and my husband is literally the meaning of that," his wife, Ravin Lopez, told the Daily Herald. "He's just one of those people you'll never forget because of how kind he was ... he really was always happy."

Ravin was with Rocky for most of the day before the Aug. 9 crash — they cruised through the countryside and went to visit their son in Rockford, according to the Chicago Tribune.

She was worried about him going out on his motorcycle again Wednesday night to visit a friend.

“He gave me a kiss. He said, ‘It’s OK, preciosa, I’ll be right back. Don’t worry,’” Ravin Lopez told the newspaper.

As it got later in the night, and she hadn't heard from her husband, she decided to track his phone. It showed him not moving in an area on Huntley Road. Thinking she may have been pulled over, she drove to the location, but it was blocked off and she was told there'd been a bad accident, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Officers informed her at the scene that her husband had been killed in the crash.

Authorities say Rocky, 53, of Lake in the Hills, was riding on a Harley-Davidson when the collision occurred at about 9:45 p.m. at the intersection of Huntley and Binnie roads. A white Lexus, driven by a 61-year-old woman from unincorporated Dundee, collided with the motorcycle.

The cause of the collision remains under investigation.

Rocky was known for his selfless personality and also had a passion for acting. He posted on his Facebook page about recent roles he was working on.

"Before I go to bed I want to Thank my Lord for EVERYTHING," Rocky wrote on Aug. 2 on his Facebook page."I just got another call from another Director from Chicago asking me if I want to be in his movie ... We start filming this Saturday.. He said I will have a lot of speaking roles.. and he is excited I will be working with him."

As for his tortilla business, Rocky initially sold his products from 2006 to 2013 but closed after his plans to move his business fell through, according to the Daily Herald. He went back to working construction from that point until one day, he decided he needed a change.

“I was driving a truck and I said to myself, ‘What am I doing here? I know what I can do. I know what I’m worth.’” Lopez told the Daily Herald in 2016.

So, he quit construction, found an investor and started making his tortillas again out of Shared Dream Kitchen in Elgin. When he started, he was making about 600 tortillas every two days, and six weeks later, with the help of four employees, he upped production to 6,000 tortillas a day, the Daily Herald reports.

"It’s all called a blessing … and I’m taking the blessings and I’m counting them, believe me,” Lopez said in a video in 2016. “I’ve done a lot things in my life good and bad. But when you do good, good comes back to you. And I’ve been doing a lot of good, so, that’s why I think good things are happening to me.”

Lopez ended up closing his tortilla business before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the popularity he gained from his videos lived on. He and his family were stopped stopped often while out in public by local residents who recognized and remember him from his social media presence.

In his video, he refers to his life as "Rocksworld," and that word and a tribute to Rocky is currently in the works in the form of a mural on the side of Dream Hall 51 in Elgin, which houses the culinary and business incubator where Rocky, at one point, made his tortillas, the Daily Herald is reporting.

"Rocky's influence transcended beyond his immediate circles, touching lives as a social media influencer and philanthropist. In all corners of his world, Rocky was there for others, always ready with a helping hand and a kind word, truly making it 'Rocksworld,'" according to his obituary.

A GoFundMe has been set up to bring in funds for Rocky's family. As of Thursday morning, more than $5,000 has been raised.

"Rocky was a man of many facets, but he was best known for three traits: he was selfless, loving, and funny. His selflessness shone through in his actions, always prioritizing others' needs before his own. His love was boundless, encompassing his family, friends, and even strangers. And his sense of humor was contagious, bringing laughter and joy to every room he entered," according to his obituary. " Rocky's love, his legacy, will live on in the hearts of those who knew him, granting him a form of immortality."