Famed Mexican signer Vicente Fernández passed away Sunday at 81 years old. The announcement was made via his Instagram account but a cause of death was not specified.
Affectionately known as “El Rey” and “Chente,” Fernández had been in poor health over recent months. Some of that was attributed to a serious fall in August that left him hospitalized since then, though Fernández battled other ailments as well such as liver and prostate cancer.
His impact was felt most in Mexico, but several singers, Los Angeles Dodgers Spanish-language broadcaster Jamie Jarrín and Adrian Gonzalez also shared messages on social media.
Jarrín extended his condolences to Fernández’s family, and Gonzalez offered a rest in peace message.
Me uno a las legiones de personas que han expresado sus sentimientos de dolor por la muerte del gigante de la canción ranchera, el ícono Chente Fernández. Para su familia mi más sentido pésame. Descanse en paz Vicente.
— Jaime Jarrín (@JaimeJarrin) December 13, 2021
Que en paz descanse Don Vicente Fernandez. pic.twitter.com/ISNJFy1oRy
— Adrián González OLY (@Adrian_ElTitan) December 12, 2021
Droves of fans flocked to Fernández’s ranch near Guadalajara to mourn his death, sing together and place flowers outside the entrance.
Fernández performed his final live show at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City in 2016. That same year he won a Grammy Award for regional Mexican album, “Un Azteca en el Azteca” (“An Aztec at the Aztec”), which was the live recording of his final performance.
Nearly two decades prior, Fernández received a star on the Walk of Fame in 1998, located in front of the historic Capitol Records Building at 1750 N. Vine St., Los Angeles, Calif. 90028. Fernández sold more than 50 million records during his career and also appeared in 30-plus films.
Fernández revered at Dodger Stadium
With a significant portion of the Dodgers fanbase being of Hispanic decent, any time a Mariachi group performed Fernández’s romantic ballades or a song was played, the crowd regularly would rise to its feet and belt the words in harmony.
Former Dodgers outfielder Alex Verdugo used Fernández’s “Volver, Volver” as a walk-up song during his time with the team.
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