Iconic Latin American singer José José has died after a long battle with cancer. He was 71 years old.
The Mexican legend was known popularly as El Principe de la Cancion, which translates to The Prince of Song, and it adequately captured just how important he was to music and entertainment in Mexico and across Latin America.
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Before he passed away on Saturday, the exceptional performer had been fighting pancreatic cancer for the last several years. He first went public with his diagnosis back in March 2017, and though we don’t yet know the cause of death, the cancer certainly could have been a factor. Also of note: José José had been seeking treatment at a south Florida hospital when he passed away, according to TMZ.
Whatever the case, the Mexican legend was an icon and a powerhouse in the 1970s and 1980s in particular, churning out records with hit songs, like El Triste, El Amar y el Querer, Vamos a Darnos Tiempo, and plenty more. He received two Lifetime Achievement Awards (in 2004 and 2013), and won the Latin Recording Academy’s Person of the Year award in 2005; and though he never won one while active, he was nominated for multiple Grammys throughout his long and illustrious career.
In all, his career spanned more than 60 years, and touched the lives of thousands and thousands of people in Mexico and elsewhere across the globe. And not to outdo himself, but the impressive singer also forged himself a successful acting career, as well, appearing in movies and on television shows south of the border for several decades to boot. He even saw his own life story play out on television last year, when a series made it to air that was directly based on his memoirs.
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The likable legend is survived by Sara, his wife of 24 years, as well as his six children. The singer was 71 years old. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, and all of his friends and loved ones — as well as all of the thousands of fans he touched over the years with his impressive, expansive career on stage and on screen. Even after such a long and distinguished career, we can certainly respect and imagine how difficult this must be for those followed the performer for all those years.
So sad. Rest in peace, José José.
[Image via YouTube]
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