Mexican legendary singer Vicente Fernandez died at the age of 81, marking a day that millions of Mexicans feared would come one day.
At 6:15 AM this morning, the official Instagram page of Vicente Fernandez confirmed his death.
His Instagram account confirmed the passing of Fernandez with a heartfelt caption stating, "It was an honor and great pride to share with everyone a great music career and give everything for his audience. Thank you for continuing to applaud; thank you for continuing to sing."
This comes months after Fernandez had suffered a hard fall over the summer, resulting in inflammation of his lower respiratory tract that kept worsening until his confirmed death this morning.
Devastating news for Mexicans worldwide of all ages when one considers the amount of impact Fernandez's music had on every generation.
The Mariachi legend released his first track in 1966 and eventually stepped into the Mexican acting world in the 1970s when he released his first movie, "La Ley del Monte."
He combined singing and acting for over two decades but eventually dedicated himself to performing music in front of thousands of fans for the remainder of his legendary career.
Fernandez won three Grammy awards throughout his career, released over 100 albums, eventually earning himself a star on the Hollywood walk of fame.
"El Chente" was the perfect representation of a Mexican male icon in many ways. The mustache, the sombrero, the dark hair during his younger years, the effortlessly-deep voice, his love for tequila being from Guadalajara. He had it all to fit the perfect image of the Mexican "macho" on a global stage.
However, his appearance was just a fraction of his impact on Mexican culture. In a legendary way, his image contradicted his discography. His music evolved to become the quintessential escape for vulnerable Mexicans feeling sorrow in times of emotional heartbreak.
Mexicans worldwide will have a shot(or many) of tequila today and will listen to his classic hits as they pay tribute to a Mexican icon, classic hits that will transcend throughout generations to come.
And although "El Rey" of Mexican music is no longer on earth, his throne in the industry remains belonging to him, and it's a seat that will never be replaced.
