Mercedes Angelica Linza, a film and television producer who had been working as lead creative producer at Amazon Studios and Prime Video, died on April 10 of bile duct cancer. She was 40 years old.
Born on November 12, 1981 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago to Sandra Fores Lanza, she moved to California with her mother and brother Kyle, after her parents divorced. After living in Los Angeles, the family moved to San Mateo, where LeAnza completed high school. LeAnza attended Loyola University Marymount, where she graduated with honors in Theater Arts and Communication in 2005.
After graduation, LeAnza co-founded Stella Bella Productions, which went on to make films such as “Jelly,” “The Accidental Death of Joey by Sue,” and “Ash Global.” LeAnza has also served as producer and line producer for both clerical and commercial projects throughout production. She worked as a producer at Launch Media of Santa Monica and produced independent films, such as the comedy “Homeroom”. She was also a member of SAG-AFTRA and the Producers Guild of America.
LeAnza was first credited as Amazon’s lead creative producer in 2020 with the drama series “Hunters” starring Al Pacino. Her other Amazon credits include “Making the Cut,” “Solos,” “Upload,” and “Harlem.”
LeAnza is survived by her devoted husband, Sonny Michael Olivera; her mother, Sandra Lanza; her brother, Kyle, and her sister-in-law Elizabeth Lanza; her estranged father, Glenn Lanza; Her uncle and aunt Chris and Julie Lanza and their three sons Kai, CJ and Jax.
A memorial to friends and co-workers is scheduled for May 15 in Los Angeles. In memory of LeAnza, the family is asking for a donation to charity or the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation through http://www.cholangiocarcinoma.org.
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