Mexico’s ranchera legend, and cultural icon, Vicente Fernández has tragically died at 81 in hospital in Guadalajara.
Vicente Fernández was an international cultural and musical icon, dubbed the King of traditional ranchera. Even if you may not recognise the name, you definitely know his music.
His patriotic songs of love and loss, inspired by life in rural Mexico, was loved by generations of fans from across the globe.
“Rest in Peace Mr. Vicente Fernández. We regret to inform you of his death on Sunday, December 12 at 6:15 a.m,” read a post on his Instagram account over the weekend.
El Rey, Por Tu Maldito Amor, and Volver, Volver are just a couple of Fernández’s hit songs filled with mariachi vibrancy and cultural richness.
In his embroidered sombrero and signature charro outfit, Fernández celebrated the ranchera genre from the rural Mexican countryside and illuminated the culture onto the world stage.
A day of huge cultural significance
Vicente Fernández passed on Sunday, December 12 – a day which already holds huge cultural significance for Mexicans and Mexican American’s.
It is the day of the feast of the Virgen de Guadalupe, or the Virgin of Guadalupe, celebrating when, in 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared to Indigenous Mexican, Juan Diego, in the last of several apparitions.
NBC’s Spanish-language network, Telemundo, interrupted its live broadcast of Mexico’s Virgin of Guadalupe celebrations to announce Vicente Fernández’ death.
His enchanting, and long-lasting popularity
Fernández’s six-decade-long career included dozens of albums, hundreds of songs, and dedicated fans that stretched generations.
He won three Grammy’s, as well as eight Latin Grammy’s, he earned a place in the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and starred in a handful of movies as well.
Vicente Fernández was an icon in every sense of the word.
