Mexico's ranchera music legend, known for classics like "El Rey" and "Volver, Volver," died the same day Mexicans celebrate the Virgin of Guadalupe
Mexico's ranchera music legend, known for classics like "El Rey" and "Volver, Volver," died the same day Mexicans celebrate the Virgin of Guadalupe
Known as “Chente” to his fans, Fernández was famous for iconic songs about love, longing and the countryside that were familiar to U.S. Hispanics and people across the Spanish-speaking world, including “Volver, Volver,” “El Rey” and “Por Tu Maldito Amor.” He was seen by many as one of the last artists of the ranchera, a song style rooted in rural Mexico.
In 1998, Fernández received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He won three Grammys and eight Latin Grammys, among other honors. He appeared in more than 30 movies and sold more than 50 million records.
Fernández died the same day Mexico celebrates the feast of the Virgen de Guadalupe or the Virgin of Guadalupe. For Mexicans and Mexican Americans, Dec. 12 holds special significance. It marks the date in 1531 when the Virgin Mary is purported to have appeared to Juan Diego, an Indigenous Mexican, in the last of several apparitions.
Fernández was such an icon that Telemundo, NBC's Spanish-language network, interrupted its live broadcast of Mexico's Virgin of Guadalupe celebrations to announce his death. The news quickly flooded social media as major Mexican publications reported his passing.