Mariachi Singer Vicente Fernández Dies At 81

Mexican singer and Mariachi icon Vicente Fernández has died aged 81 on Sunday, in a hospital in Guadalajara in his native state of Jalisco.

Fernández’s death was announced in a post on his official Instagram account on Sunday; however, the statement did not reveal the cause of his death.

“Rest in Peace Mr. Vicente Fernández. We regret to inform you of his death on Sunday, December 12 at 6:15 a.m.,” a message on his Instagram account read.

“It was an honor and a great pride to share with everyone a great musical career and to give everything for his audience. Thank you for continuing to applaud, thank you for continuing to sing.”

Prior to now, Fernández had been hospitalized for months following a spinal injury in August, according to previous posts on his account. 

His Life

Known as the “El Rey,” Vicente Fernández was regarded as the King of traditional ranchera music, a song style rooted in rural Mexico. With a career that spanned over six decades, Fernández recorded dozens of albums and hundreds of songs and a sales record that runs into tens of millions. 

Well known for his songs of love, loss and patriotism delivered in powerful operatic, marathon performances and his signature charro outfit and intricately embroidered sombrero, Fernández performed at some of the largest venues in the world.

His epic hours’ long concerts saw him communing directly with fans as he drank from bottles of alcohol offered to him. Referred to as “Chente,” by fans, he would tell his audiences that “as long as you keep applauding, your ‘Chente’ won’t stop singing.”

His iconic songs, including “Volver, Volver,” “El Rey”, and “Por Tu Maldito Amor” about the countryside, struck feelings of longing and memories familiar to U.S. Hispanics and people across the Spanish-speaking world. 

No stranger to the movie world, Fernadez also starred in dozens of movies; in fact, his popularity is reflected in industry accolades, including a place in the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, three Grammy Awards and eight Latin Grammy Awards.