Vicente Fernandez was one of the biggest icons in traditional Mexican music. Unfortunately, for his family and fans, they’ve learned of his death at the age of 81. The family made an official statement, but did not reveal the cause of death. They indicated that he was hospitalized since August after a fall at his home.
According to NPR, the singer had been diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack the nerves of the body. Over the last few months, he had been showing signs of improvement, but over the last week his health had taken a turn for the worse.
Fernandez is a legend of Mexican ranchera. He had millions of fans from his home country and around the world. He has created music over six decades. His songs remain a significant part of Mexican culture.
“He would sing as long as people wanted him to sing,” stated Leila Cobo, vice president at Billboard magazine. “And I think that commitment to his fans that said, ‘I’m yours for the taking,’ just had a huge impact.”
“He would sing these songs with so much pathos and so much emotion, that grown men would cry, and he would cry,” Cobo added. “Perhaps because he was such a macho man, he could cry. And that made him all the more iconic and legendary.”
Fernandez was born in 1940 and started singing locally at 19. His first hit debuted in 1969 with “Tu Camino y El Mio”, a love ballad. He was a three-time Grammy winner and sold millions of albums worldwide.
