Chart-topping singer beloved by Latin world
MEXICO CITY — Juan Gabriel, a superstar Mexican songwriter and singer who was an icon in the Latin music world, died Sunday at his home in Southern California at age 66, his publicist said.
Mr. Gabriel was Mexico’s leading singer-songwriter and top-selling artist. His ballads about love and heartbreak and bouncy mariachi tunes became hymns throughout Latin America and Spain and with Spanish speakers in the United States.
He brought many adoring fans to tears as they sang along when he crooned his songs about love and heartbreak, including his top hits, “Hasta Que Te Conoci” (“Until I Met You”) and “Amor Eterno” (“Eternal Love”). His hit “Querida” (“Dear”) topped Mexico’s charts for a whole year.
A flamboyant performer, Mr. Gabriel, whose real name was Alberto Aguilera Valadez, liked to wear jackets covered in sequins or dress in shiny silk, and he was known for tossing his head before dancing or jumping around the stage.
Publicist Arturo de la Mora said Mr. Gabriel died at his home in Santa Monica. Univison reported he suffered a heart attack.
Mr. Gabriel performed to packed auditoriums, including New York’s Madison Square Garden and the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles. His last concert was Friday night at the Forum in Inglewood (Los Angeles County).
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said through his official Twitter account: “I regret the death of Juan Gabriel, one of the great musical icons of our country. My condolences to his relatives and friends.”
Mr. Gabriel broke ground in Mexico in 1990 by becoming the first commercial singer to present a show at Mexico City’s majestic Palace of Fine Arts, until then a forum reserved for classical musicians. The proceeds from the three sold-out concerts went to support the National Symphony Orchestra and became his most celebrated performances. His album “Juan Gabriel live from the Palace of Fine Arts” set record sales.
A six-time Grammy nominee, Mr. Gabriel was inducted into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame in 1996 and received countless industry awards.
The singer, who was born Jan. 7, 1950, wrote his first song at age 13 and went on to compose more than 1,500 songs.
“There are no rules when I compose songs,” he said in a biography published by Mexico’s Society of Music Authors and Composers. “There are times when I’m really happy and I write something really sad, and vice versa.”
The youngest of 10 children, he rose from rags to riches. He was born in the state of Michoacan. His father, Gabriel Aguilera, was a farmer and his mother, Victoria Valadez, a housewife. He signed his first record contract in 1971 and had his first big hit with “No tengo dinero” (“I don’t have any money”).
Mr. Gabriel rarely gave interviews. When he did, he avoided talking about his private life. Although his former personal secretary, Joaquin Munoz, said in a book that he had an affair with Mr. Gabriel, the singer neither acknowledged nor denied being gay. His fans were surprised when years later it became known that he had fathered four children with his friend Laura Salas.