The world loses Mexican Royalty and Revered Ranchera Music Legend, Vicente Fernandez
Beloved Mexican Singer, Vicente Fernández, known to many as “El Rey De La Música Ranchera” transitioned into eternal paradise early Sunday morning.
The Hispanic community and fans across the globe are mourning the loss of the Mexican Music Icon. For a little over five decades, the masses have been blessed with his songs about Pride, Romance, and Grit. Though he is commonly described as the Frank Sinatra of Mexico, his baritone voice and well-recognized ‘Grito Mexicano’ was and will always be one of a kind.
Vicente Fernandez was born on February 17, 1940 in the small village of Huentitán in the state of Jalisco. From a very young age, he expressed his interests in Music & Film. At the age of 8, he received his first guitar and began studying the art of ‘Charro’ music.
As a young man, he worked various jobs in trade but his one true passion remained music. At 14, he started signing in restaurants and at weddings which led him to, Amanecer Tapatío, a radio program that quickly gained him recognition locally.
It would take a decade after signing his first deal that Chente would reap the rewards and fulfill his dream of making it in the business.
In 1976, Chente catapulted to fame with the success of ‘Volver, Volver.’ The hit song made waves back then and continues to do numbers decades after its release. Standing the test of time with the proof lying in the twenty plus covers by various singers including Chavela Vargas, Lucha Villa, Ry Cooder, Cornelio Reyna, and Maria Jimenez, among others.
In the past 45 years, Fernández has recorded over 50 albums and over 300 songs. His achievements include 3 Grammy Awards, 9 Latin Grammys, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
He also starred in over a three dozen movies from 1971 until 1990. He was famously known for saying his influence in music and film is owed to the late Pedro Infante.
While he retired from live performances in 2015, the late Ranchera Music Icon continued to record music with the latest release being in 2018.
In recent years, his health has been on a steady decline. Back in August of this year, he suffered a spinal injury from a fall at his ranch in Guadalajara. During that time, he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome. After four months in the ICU, the singer passed away at 6:15AM on Sunday, December 12.
He is survived by his wife Maria del Refugio Villaseñor, his three sons (Alejandro, Vicente Jr., Gerardo), his daughter Alejandra, and five grandchildren.
The loss of such a talent is one that will be felt forever.
