The famous Mexican singer Juan Gabriel died of a heart attack at the age of 66, days after performing for more than 17,000 people in a concert.
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Fans watching Mexican singer Juan Gabriel at his sold-out show at the Forum in Los Angeles on Friday couldn’t have guessed that it would be the legendary performer’s last.
Miles away in Westchester, a massive crowd of fans sang tributes outside the Malinow and Silverman Mortuary on Osage Avenue, where Gabriel’s body was taken after he died Sunday at his home in Santa Monica.
El Pasoans gather Sunday to sing songs by Juan Gabriel, who was to perform Sunday night at the Don Haskins Center. In 1990, Gabriel became the first commercial singer to perform at Mexico City’s Palace of Fine Arts, which was earlier reserved for classical musicians.
Also gathering at Gabriel’s star was a horde of media from Los Angeles and around the world.
Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto praised Gabriel as “a voice and a talent that reflected Mexico”. “Juan is a legend in the world of Latin Music and someone that I truly admire”. According to Billboard.com, Juan Gabriel had the highest-grossing Latin tour of 2015, earning $31.8 million for 32 shows in the US and Puerto Rico.
Gabriel’s hits included “Hasta Que Te Conoci” (“Until I Met You”), “Amor Eterno” (“Eternal Love”) and “Querida” (“Dear”). “He says, ‘I know there’s a lot of singers out there who make fun of me but don’t ever don’t do that”.
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President Obama added to the long list of tributes by releasing a statement which reads: “For over forty years, Juan Gabriel brought his beloved Mexican music to millions, transcending borders and generations”. As a child, Gabriel spent eight years in a Mexican orphanage and began writing music as a teen. His fans were surprised when years later it became known that he had fathered four children with his friend Laura Salas. “Juan Gabriel broke stereotypes in our community for decades”, tweeted Mariana Atencio, a news anchor on Fusion and Univison.
