Gabriel, 66, died Sunday at his home in Santa Monica, where some fans gathered last night and joined together in song.
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He was nominated for numerous Grammys and was inducted into Billboard’s Latin Music Hall of Fame in 1996. A Times reporter recounted a trip to with him to an upscale Malibu, Calif., restaurant, where only the Mexican busboy appeared to recognize the star. The six-time Grammy nominee’s last concert was Friday at the Forum in Inglewood (Los Angeles County).
As a late summer shower poured down on Austin on Sunday evening, I listened to the magic of Juan Gabriel’s music on my record player with pops, hisses and all.
Gabriel has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He had been scheduled to perform Sunday in El Paso, Texas.
“Juan Gabriel was very effeminate on stage, yet he was one of these artists, where if you went to a Juan Gabriel concert you would see these macho guys in tears and you would see girls in tears”, said Leila Cobo, a who directs coverage of Latin music for Billboard Magazine.
The singer’s death was naturally top news in Mexico. Everything Juan Gabriel did, he did from his heart.
“He is (and will be) the mirror of Mexico”, said the Mexico edition of El Pais.
“His music is a legacy for the world”, he added.
“He was one of the greats of Latin music – and his spirit will live on in his enduring songs, and in the hearts of the fans who love him”, Obama said.
Many have compared the artist to a Latin Elton John, David Bowie or Prince because of the impact he made, not only in music but the culture of Latins and especially for the Mexican people.
Across the border in his adopted hometown of Juárez, dozens more fans crowded outside Gabriel’s mansion near downtown and sang his songs as a young guitarist strummed the melodies.
“Juan Gabriel’s son Ivan Aguilera stated, “My father’s untimely passing is a tragic loss for all of us, his family, colleagues, and fans alike”. “I have many loves but the most important are: my mother, my children, my sister, my brothers, my nieces and nephews and my songs”. Trying to get a fresh start?
His beloved Mexico mourns him today.
With help from the warden he found his way into the music business, however, working as a composer, arranger and producer.
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He spent part of his childhood in an orphanage, according to published accounts of his life, and was said to have given some of his first public performances on the street while selling tortillas. “He was the most important figure in Mexican music in the Pop era”. His songs have been widely performed by other artists.
