Mexico mourns death of singing legend Juan Gabriel

Mourners flocked to Gabriel’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to share memories and pay tribute as his music played in the background.

More than anything, that song – released just a few months before his death – speaks to Gabriel’s incredible ability to cover across all genres, even when he had his own sound and persona so well defined.

Juan Gabriel, one of Mexico’s leading singers and songwriters, died Sunday.

Juan Gabriel wooed audiences with soulful pop ballads that made him a Latin American music legend.

(AP Photo/Richard Vogel). A T-shirt is left along with flowers and candles at the Hollywood star of Mexican superstar Juan Gabriel, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles on Monday, Aug. 29, 2016.

TMZ reports that Gabriel died in Santa Monica, Calif., of a suspected heart attack.

“For over 40 years, Juan Gabriel brought his beloved Mexican music to millions, transcending borders and generations”, the statement reads.

The county corner has said that Gabriel died of natural causes, the Times says. Publicist Arturo de la Mora told The Associated Press that he died at 11:30 a.m.in his home.

Gabriel was scheduled to perform in El Paso, Texas Sunday night as part of a fall USA tour, but that concert was canceled even before news of Gabriel’s death.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said through his official Twitter account: “I regret the death of Juan Gabriel, one of the great musical icons of our country”.

The youngest of 10 children, he rose from rags to riches. “Don’t believe it. Juan Gabriel was singular”. In an interview about his childhood, he stated, “I was born in Michoacan, which is in the south of Mexico”. The family lost contact with his father after he was taken to a psychiatric hospital in Mexico City when Juan Gabriel was still a baby. He escaped the orphanage and moved to Mexico City, where he continued to pursue his career.

“He has gone to become part of eternity and leaves us his legacy through Juan Gabriel, a character he created with the music he sang and performed across this world”, the site said.

He ran away from boarding school at the age of 15, and signed a record contract with RCA Records in 1971, when he was 21.

By one count Juan Gabriel put out some 2,000 songs and he was known for marathon live shows.