Four months after suffering a fall that landed him in the intensive care unit of a hospital, Vincente Fernández has died. He was 81-years-old. The announcement came in a post to his official Instagram page. “It was an honor and a great pride to share with everyone his great musical career. He gave everything to his audience,” read the post, translated to English from his native language. “Thank you for continuing to applaud, thank you for continuing to sing.”
People Magazine reports that on Aug. 10, his family shared that he was in “serious but stable” and on a ventilator following a fall at his Guadalajara ranch. His family continued providing updates as they hoped for a full recovery. “Love you dad,” his son and fellow singer, Alejandro Fernández, wrote on Instagram at the time. He has two other children, Vicente and Gerardo Fernández.
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The late singer’s career was long and impressive, with him having success in both music and acting. Some of his most popular singles include “Por Tu Maldito Amor,” “Volver Volver,” “Acá Entre Nos,” “Hermoso Cariño,” “Mujeres Divinas.” He was also famous for covers of songs like “El Rey” and “Camino de Guanajuato.”
Known as El Ídolo de México, or the Mexican Idol, he was was born and raised in Guadalajara, Jalisco. He began his career as a street performer. He was signed to Mexico’s CBS Records in 1966
In 1971, he released his first film, Tacos al carbón. He also had roles in films like La Ley del Monte and Por Tu Maldito Amor. His films featured mariachi songs throughout, as well as and covers of old rancheras by singers such as José Alfredo Jiménez and Javier Solís.
He was a pioneer in his genre, penning some of the classics. Fernández won four Grammys and eight Latin Grammys.
The fall he suffered in August was not his first health scare. In 2019, a lump was found in his liver. He refused a liver transplant, saying he was concerned the donor could have been an “addict” or a “homosexual” person. “They wanted to give me some other f—er’s liver, and I told them ‘I’m not going to sleep with my wife with another man’s liver,’” he said during an appearance on the Mexican TV show De Primera Mano. “I don’t even know if he was homosexual or a drug addict.” His comments caused intense backlash.
There was also controversy earlier this year when he was accused of sexual abuse by singer Lupita Castro. Around the same time, photos surfaced online of him touching women inappropriately. Fernández denied the accusations.
