Alberto Aguilera Valadez (; 7 January 1950 – 28 August 2016), known professionally as Juan Gabriel (), was a Mexican singer-songwriter and actor. Colloquially nicknamed Juanga () and El Divo de Juárez, Juan Gabriel was known for his flamboyant style, which broke norms and standards within the

Latin music Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and ) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America, which encompasses Music of Latin America, Latin America, Music of Spain, Spain, Mu ...

industry. Widely regarded as one of the best and most prolific Mexican composers and singers of all time, he is considered a

pop icon A pop icon is a celebrity, character, or object whose exposure in popular culture is regarded as constituting a defining characteristic of a given society or era. The usage of the term is largely subjective since there are no definitively object ...

. Having sold an estimated 40 million records worldwide, Juan Gabriel is among Latin America's best selling music artists. His nineteenth studio album, '' Recuerdos, Vol. II'', is reportedly the best-selling album of all time in Mexico, with over eight million copies sold. During his career, Juan Gabriel wrote around 1,800 songs. Some of his most popular, signature songs include titles such as "Amor eterno", " Querida", " Yo no nací para amar", " Hasta que te conocí", "El Noa Noa", " No tengo dinero", " Abrázame muy fuerte", "Te lo pido por favor", " Costumbres", "En esta primavera", " Pero qué necesidad", "La Farsante", " Debo Hacerlo", "Te sigo amando", " Yo No Sé Qué Me Pasó", " Siempre en mi mente", " De mí enamórate" and "Lo pasado, pasado"; amongst perhaps his most acclaimed songs are " Se me olvidó otra vez" and the heartbreaking ballad " Así Fue", popularized by and sung with Isabel Pantoja of

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. Many of his compositions have been performed by and with other artists. In 2023, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' ranked Gabriel at number 172 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Early life

Alberto Aguilera Valadez was born on 7 January 1950, in Parácuaro, Michoacán, Mexico. The son of Gabriel Aguilera Rodríguez and Victoria Valadez Rojas, of the influential Macias-Valadéz of

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

, Juan was the youngest of their ten children. During Juan's childhood, his father was interned into a

psychiatric hospital A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe Mental disorder, mental disorders. These institutions cater t ...

. Given the family's challenges, Aguilera's (his birth surname) mother moved her family to

Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez ( , ; "Juárez City"), commonly referred to as just Juárez (Lipan language, Lipan: ''Tsé Táhú'ayá''), is the most populous city in the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Mexican state of Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua. It was k ...

, Chihuahua, and Alberto was enrolled and resided in the El Tribunal

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

for eight years, where he met the school's director Micaela Alvarado and teacher Juan Contreras and, becoming very close with Contreras, at age 13 young Alberto ran away from El Tribunal school and lived with Contreras for a year. In the same year, Aguilera composed his first song. At age 14, Aguilera returned to live with his mother in the city center. Alberto became interested in a local

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

, and met the sisters Leonor and Beatriz Berúmen, who took him in. There, he sang in the

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

and helped out with cleaning the church. Nonetheless, young Aguilera still identified as a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. In 1965, at age 15, Aguilera debuted on the Notivisa (now Gala TV Ciudad Juárez) television show ''Noches Rancheras''. On the program, host Raúl Loya gave Alberto Aguilera the pseudonym "Adán Luna" while he sang "María la Bandida" by José Alfredo Jiménez. From 1966 to 1968 (until roughly his eighteenth birthday), he worked as a singer at the Noa-Noa bar. During this time, he also penned " El Noa Noa". Aguilera also worked as a singer in other bars around town. Later, he traveled to

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

looking for opportunities at record companies, but found none. He returned to Juárez, where he continued working locally. The next year, he attempted again to find a

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording act (artist or group), where the act makes an audio recording (or series of recordings) for the label to sell and ...

. At RCA Víctor, he was hired by Eduardo Magallanes to work as a

backing vocalist A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

, primarily for Roberto Jordan, Angélica María and Estela Núñez. In 1970, he resigned, as he had received insufficient payment for his singing, and returned to work in the Juárez bars. With many telling him he would have success if he simply tried again, Aguilera returned to Mexico City a third time in 1971. Not having any money, he often slept in local bus or train stations. At one point, he was incorrectly accused of

robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person o ...

, and was incarcerated in Palacio de Lecumberri Prison for about 18 months. During this time, he wrote several songs, including "Tres Claveles y Un Rosal" and " Me He Quedado Solo"; these compositions attracted the attention of Lecumberri's

prison warden The warden ( US, Canada) or governor ( UK, Australia), also known as a superintendent (US, South Asia) or director (UK, New Zealand), is the official who is in charge of a prison. Name In the United States, Mexico, and Canada, warden is the m ...

Andrés Puentes Vargas, who later introduced him to Mexican singer-actress Enriqueta Jiménez Chabolla, better known as La Prieta Linda, as well as to Vargas's wife Ofelia Urtuzuastegui Ruiz. Ruiz and her husband greatly helped Aguilera, and with their assistance and a clear lack of any wrongdoing, he was released from prison, living at their home for about two years. Aguilera's adoptive "parents" provided him shelter, protection and support, and the right type of living environment to compose more songs with which to launch his professional music career as "Juan Gabriel".

Career

La Prieta Linda helped Aguilera at RCA Víctor, where he signed a recording contract. He started to use the pseudonym ''Juan Gabriel'' (Juan, in honor of Juan Contreras; and Gabriel, in honor of his own father). In 1971, Juan Gabriel released his first studio album '' El Alma Joven...'', which included the song " No Tengo Dinero", which became his debut single and his first hit. ''El Alma Joven...'' was

certified Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

as gold by the

Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON) (English: Mexican Association of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms, A.C.) is a non-profit organization integrated by multinational and national record companies in M ...

(AMPROFON). In 1972, Juan Gabriel participated at the OTI Festival, where he sang the songs "Será Mañana" and "Uno, Dos y Tres (Y Me Dás un Beso)". The songs were not qualified to represent Mexico, but they were acclaimed by record company executives and later recorded for his second album '' El Alma Joven II''. After releasing '' El Alma Joven III'' (1973), Juan Gabriel released his first

mariachi Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music dating back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, two ...

album featuring the group Vargas de Tecalitlán. The album, titled '' Juan Gabriel con el Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán'' (1974), includes songs like " Se Me Olvidó Otra Vez" and "Lágrimas y Lluvia". In 1975, Juan Gabriel made his acting debut in the film '' Nobleza ranchera'' with Sara García and Verónica Castro. Over the next fifteen years, Juan Gabriel's fame grew as he recorded 15 albums and sold 20 million records. He wrote and recorded over 1,000 songs in a variety of musical genres. Juan Gabriel established himself as Mexico's leading commercial singer-songwriter, writing songs in many diverse styles like ''rancheras'' with mariachis, ballads, pop, ''rock en español'', disco, having an incredible, unprecedented string of hit records for himself and for leading Latin singers including among many others Lucha Villa,

Daniela Romo Teresa Presmanes Corona (born 27 August 1959), known professionally as Daniela Romo, is a Mexican singer, actress and TV hostess. During her career, she has sold 15 million records, making her one of the best-selling Latin music artists. Biog ...

and Ana Gabriel and international stars

Luis Miguel Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri (; born 19 April 1970) is a Mexican singer and record producer. Born in Puerto Rico to an Italian mother and a Spanish father, he is often referred to as Honorific nicknames in popular music, ''El Sol de Mexico'' ...

Rocío Dúrcal María de los Ángeles de las Heras Ortiz (4 October 1944 – 25 March 2006), better known as Rocío Dúrcal (), was a Spanish singer and actress with a career spanning more than four decades. She performed pop music, bolero, mariachi and romanti ...

and José José, who in 1978 achieved international recognition thanks to the ballad " Lo Pasado, Pasado". His lyrics dealt with heartbreak and romantic relationships that became

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

s throughout Latin America, Spain, and the United States. In 1984, his song "Querida" ("Darling") remained at number one on the Mexican charts for a year. He also received a

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

nomination for "Best Latin Pop Album" for Recuerdos, Vol. II, which includes the single release version of the song. His work as an arranger, producer and songwriter throughout the subsequent decades brought him into contact with the leading Latin artists of the day, including

and Isabel Pantoja. In addition to recording numerous hits on his own, Juan Gabriel has produced albums for Dúrcal, Lucha Villa, Lola Beltrán and

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter and actor. His songs include " Diana", “ You Are My Destiny", “Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby". Anka also wr ...

. In 1984, he released '' Recuerdos, Vol. II'' which one source says is the best-selling album of all time in Mexico, selling over eight million copies. In 1990 Juan Gabriel became the first non-classical act to perform at the

Palacio de Bellas Artes The Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) is a prominent cultural center in Mexico City. It hosts performing arts events, literature events and plastic arts galleries and exhibitions (including important permanent Mexican murals). "Bella ...

. The proceeds from the three sold-out concerts were given to the

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930 by cellist Hans Kindler, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The NSO regularly ...

. On 31 July 2000, a

telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar Drama (film and television), drama genres around the w ...

titled '' Abrázame Muy Fuerte'' began broadcasting in Mexico. Salvador Mejía, the producer, choose to use the song of the same name as its

main theme In music, a subject is the material, usually a recognizable melody, upon which part or all of a musical composition, composition is based. In forms other than the fugue, this may be known as the theme. Characteristics A subject may be perceiva ...

. "Abrázame Muy Fuerte" ended 2001 as the most successful Latin single of the year. For the song, Juan Gabriel won two Billboard Latin Music Awards in

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

for Hot Latin Track of the Year and Latin Pop Airplay Track of the Year; and also received the Songwriter of the Year award. The song ranked seventh at the Hot Latin Songs 25th Anniversary chart. "Abrázame Muy Fuerte" also was awarded for Pop Song of the Year at the 2002 Lo Nuestro Awards. At the time of his death, Juan Gabriel was touring the United States and was scheduled to perform at a concert in

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...

, that same day. He also had four albums which reached number one on the

Top Latin Albums Top Latin Albums (formerly Latin 50) is a record chart published by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' magazine and is labeled as the most important music chart for Spanish language, full-length albums in the United States, American music market. ...

from 2015 and 2016, including '' Vestido de Etiqueta por Eduardo Magallanes'', which reached number one a week before he died. He holds the record for most albums peaking at number one on the Top Latin Albums chart over a short time. In addition, he had 31 songs that charted on the

Hot Latin Songs The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin music, Latin songs, published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart ranki ...

chart, seven of which reached number one.

BMG copyright dispute

Estrella y manos de Juan Gabriel plasmadas en la Plaza de las Estrellas

Between 1986 and 1994, Juan Gabriel refused to record any material because of a dispute with BMG over

copyrights A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...

to his songs. He continued his career in live stage performances, setting attendance records throughout

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

. By 1994 the copyright dispute reached a resolution under an agreement whereby ownership of the songs reverted to Juan Gabriel over a specified time period. After this dispute, which lasted 8 years, he released an album titled, " Gracias Por Esperar," which in English, translates to, "Thank You For Waiting". The record label then selected eleven previously released tracks from Juan Gabriel's catalog in order to release " Debo Hacerlo", the last new song recorded by the artist.

Personal life

Juan Gabriel was never married. He had six children, four of them having a version in different languages of the name John. The mother of four of his children (Iván Gabriel, Joan Gabriel, Hans Gabriel and Jean Gabriel) is Laura Salas. Juan Gabriel stated that Salas was "the best friend of my life" ("''la mejor amiga de mi vida"'' in Spanish). Nearly a month after his death, the news program '' Primer Impacto'' discovered that Juan Gabriel had a fifth child, a son named Luis Alberto Aguilera, living in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

. The two maintained a long-distance relationship, primarily communicating via e-mail. The mother of his fifth child is Guadalupe Gonzalez, who worked as Juan Gabriel's domestic employee. On 26 October 2016, ''Primer Impacto'' found the sixth child of Juan Gabriel, named Joao Gabriel, living in Los Angeles, California. Joao's mother is Consuelo Rosales, who also worked as Juan Gabriel's domestic employee.

Genetic testing Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

was conducted to assess Juan Gabriel's parentage of Luis Alberto and Joao, with genetic material provided by Juan Gabriel's brother Pablo Aguilera. Although he was widely assumed to be gay, Juan Gabriel never explicitly talked about his sexuality. However, as he got older he began to give implicit responses towards questions about his sexuality, saying to interviewers ''"Lo que se ve no se pregunta"'' ("what one sees doesn't have to be asked about"). Some may interpret this to be an implicit affirmation of homosexuality, while others have interpreted this to be an affirmation of heterosexuality, due to the female romantic partners he had. On 14 November 2005, Juan Gabriel was injured when he fell from the stage at the Toyota Center in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, and was hospitalized at

Texas Medical Center The Texas Medical Center (TMC) is a List of neighborhoods in Houston, neighborhood in south-central Houston, Texas, United States. It is immediately south of the Houston Museum District, Museum District and west of Texas State Highway 288. Over 6 ...

. He sustained a cervical fracture on his neck, forcing him to refrain from performing on tour while being bedridden for eight months.

Political views

Juan Gabriel was a lifelong supporter of the

Institutional Revolutionary Party The Institutional Revolutionary Party (, , PRI) is a List of political parties in Mexico, political party in Mexico that was founded in 1929 as the National Revolutionary Party (, PNR), then as the Party of the Mexican Revolution (, PRM) and fin ...

(PRI), which governed Mexico from 1929 to 2000 and from 2012 to 2018. In 1994, he stated that "his best friends

ere Ere or ERE may refer to: * ''Environmental and Resource Economics'', a peer-reviewed academic journal * ERE Informatique, one of the first French video game companies * Ere language, an Austronesian language * Ebi Ere (born 1981), American-Nigeria ...

from the PRI" and he campaigned in support of then-presidential PRI candidate

Ernesto Zedillo Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León (; born 27 December 1951) is a Mexican economist and politician. He was the 61st president of Mexico from 1994 to 2000, as the last of the uninterrupted 71-year line of Mexican presidents from the Institutional Re ...

. In the 2000 election he again campaigned for the PRI candidate, Francisco Labastida (who eventually lost the election). In 2015, he wrote a letter to the then-President of Mexico

Enrique Peña Nieto Enrique Peña Nieto (; born 20 July 1966), commonly referred to by his initials EPN, is a Mexican former politician and lawyer who was the 64th president of Mexico from 2012 to 2018. A member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), he p ...

(a member of the PRI), expressing his support for his administration and for the PRI, which he stated, "will never go away".

Death

On 28 August 2016, Juan Gabriel died in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, reportedly from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

. Gabriel's body was

cremated Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...

; his ashes were returned to a house he owned in

, Chihuahua, after receiving tributes from the city and

in Mexico City. An

autopsy An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of deat ...

was not performed to determine the cause of death.

Charitable work

Juan Gabriel continued to do 10 to 12 performances per year as benefit concerts for his favorite children's homes, usually posing for pictures with his fans and forwarding the proceeds from the photo ops to support Mexican orphans. In 1987, he founded Semjase, a house for orphaned and underserved children located in

Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua Ciudad () is the Spanish word for "city". Ciudad or La Ciudad may also refer to: * La Ciudad (archaeological site), Hohokam ruins in Phoenix, Arizona * La Ciudad, district of Durango City, Mexico * ''La ciudad'', a novel by Mario Levrero publi ...

. It serves school children between the ages of 6 and 12.

Legacy and impact

In 2015, ''Billboard'' listed Juan Gabriel among their list of the 30 most influential Latino artists in history, citing his "dramatic performance style" and his redefined concept of romantic Latin pop music. The publication noted Gabriel's appeal among several generations of Latino Americans and artists. In his list of the most influential Latin music artists in history, Carlos Quintana of

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly The Mining Company, About.com and Dotdash) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, hom ...

, ranked Juan Gabriel number six for shaping "the sounds of Mexican music" and exploring genres from ranchera to Latin pop. In 1986, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley declared 5 October Juan Gabriel day. He received the Lo Nuestro Excellence Award in

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

. In 1996, he was inducted into the ''Billboard'' Latin Music Hall of Fame, while in 2003 he was inducted into the

International Latin Music Hall of Fame The International Latin Music Hall of Fame (ILMHF) was an annual event established in 1999 and held in New York City to honor artists who have largely contributed to the Latin music genre. In addition to the induction into the Hall of Fame, the a ...

, and posthumously inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame in October 2016. In 2023, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked Juan Gabriel at number 172 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. Juan Gabriel Hollywood Star

The

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

(ASCAP) honored Juan Gabriel the Latin Songwriter of the Year Award in 1995, 1996, and 1998. In 1999, Gabriel received the

People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the fans and general public. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls un ...

for Best Regional Artist. That same year, he received the La Opinión Tributo Nacional for Lifetime Achievement Award. A statue was erected by ''Billboard'' at Mexico City's

Plaza Garibaldi Plaza Garibaldi is located in monumental downtown, Mexico City, on Eje Central (Lázaro Cárdenas) between historic Calle República de Honduras and Calle República de Peru, a few blocks north of the Palacio de Bellas Artes. The original name o ...

in 2001, and remains a popular destination for mariachi performances. In 2009, the singer was honored as the Latin Recording Academy's Person of the Year. He also received his own star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

in May 2002. His death became a worldwide trending topic on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

after news reports were confirmed. President of Mexico

, called him one of Mexico's "greatest musical icons". United States President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

also commented on Juan Gabriel's death and complimented his music for "transcending borders and generations" and that "his spirit will live on in his enduring songs, and in the hearts of the fans who love him". Gabriel Abaroa, the CEO of the Latin Recording Academy, said his legacy was "much more than one or hundreds of songs; he composed philosophy" and that Juan Gabriel "broke taboos, devoured stages and conquered diverse audiences". Leila Cobo of ''Billboard'' proclaimed Juan Gabriel as a "prodigal performer" and noted that his songs were "romantic, colloquial, emotional compositions that sometimes rambled but managed to strike a universal chord with lyrics that could apply to many people and many situations." Gabriel's songs have been covered by artists such as

Gloria Trevi Gloria de los Ángeles Treviño Ruiz (born February 15, 1968), known professionally as Gloria Trevi, is a Mexican singer, songwriter and actress. She is known for her emotional lyrics, performances, and lasting influence on Latin music, being ...

, La India, and

Marc Anthony Marco Antonio Muñiz (born September 16, 1968), known professionally as Marc Anthony, is an American singer and actor. He is the top selling salsa artist of all time. A four-time Grammy Award, eight-time Latin Grammy Award and twenty-nine-tim ...

, the latter of whom credits his song " Hasta Que Te Conocí" as the inspiration to launch his career in Latin music. Tribute albums to Gabriel have been recorded by several artists including

Cristian Castro Cristian Sáinz Castro (born 8 December 1974) is a Mexican pop singer. He is the son of actors Verónica Castro and Manuel "El Loco" Valdés, and nephew of actors Ramón Valdés (known for playing Don Ramón in '' El Chavo del Ocho'') and ...

, Pedro Fernández, Lorenzo Antonio, Álvaro Torres, Los Tri-O, Nydia Rojas, and La India. A television series based on Gabriel's life titled '' Hasta que te conocí'', began airing on 18 April 2016, and the series ended on 28 August, coincidentally the same day Gabriel died. He was portrayed by Colombian actor Julián Román and Juan Gabriel served as the executive producer.

Selected films and television shows

*1965: ''Noches Rancheras'' *1975: '' Nobleza ranchera'' *1976: ''En esta primavera'' *1978: '' Del otro lado del puente'' *1979: ''El Noa Noa'' *1980: ''Es mi vida'' *2013: ''¿Qué Le Dijiste A Dios?'' *2016: '' Hasta que te conocí''

Discography

*1971: '' El Alma Joven...'' *1972: '' El Alma Joven Vol.II'' *1973: '' El Alma Joven Vol.III'' *1974: '' Juan Gabriel con el Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán'' *1975: '' 10 Éxitos de Juan Gabriel'' *1976: '' A Mi Guitarra'' *1976: '' Juan Gabriel con Mariachi Vol. II'' *1977: '' Te Llegará Mi Olvido'' *1978: '' Siempre en Mi Mente'' *1978: '' Espectacular'' *1978: '' Mis Ojos Tristes'' *1979: '' Me Gusta Bailar Contigo'' *1980: '' Recuerdos'' *1980: '' Juan Gabriel Con Mariachi'' *1980: '' Ella'' *1981: '' Con Tu Amor'' *1982: '' Cosas de Enamorados'' *1983: '' Todo'' *1984: '' Recuerdos, Vol. II'' *1986: '' Pensamientos'' *1988: '' Debo Hacerlo'' *1990: '' Juan Gabriel en el Palacio de Bellas Artes'' *1994: '' Gracias por Esperar'' *1995: '' El México Que Se Nos Fue'' *1996: '' Las Tres Señoras (Beltran/Mendoza/Villa) – Temas y Produccion de Juan Gabriel'' *1997: '' Juntos Otra Vez with

'' *1998: '' Con la Banda...El Recodo with Banda El Recodo'' *1999: '' Todo Está Bien'' *2000: '' Abrázame Muy Fuerte'' *2003: '' Inocente de Ti'' *2010: ''

Juan Gabriel Alberto Aguilera Valadez (; 7 January 1950 – 28 August 2016), known professionally as Juan Gabriel (), was a Mexican singer-songwriter and actor. Colloquially Honorific nicknames in popular music, nicknamed Juanga () and El Divo de Juárez, ...

'' *2015: '' Los Dúo'' *2015: '' Los Dúo, Vol. 2'' *2016: '' Vestido de Etiqueta por Eduardo Magallanes'' *2022: '' Los Dúo, Vol. 3'' *2023: '' México con Escalas en Mi Corazón (Ciudades)''

Concert tours

* Volver Tour (2014) * Bienvenidos al Noa Noa Gira (2015) * Mexico Es Todo Tour (2016, died during tour)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gabriel, Juan 1950 births 2016 deaths Mexican male composers Mexican male singer-songwriters Mexican singer-songwriters 01 Latin Grammy Award winners Latin music songwriters Latin pop singers Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year honorees Mariachi musicians Mexican pop singers Mexican philanthropists Mexican composers of popular or traditional folk music Regional Mexican musicians Fonovisa Records artists RCA Victor artists Sony Music Latin artists Universal Music Latin Entertainment artists Wrongful convictions People from Parácuaro People from Ciudad Juárez Singers from Michoacán 20th-century Mexican male singers 21st-century Mexican male singers 20th-century philanthropists