Vicente Fernández

Vicente “Chente” Fernández Gómez (17 February 1940 – 12 December 2021) was a retired Mexican singer, actor, and film producer. Nicknamed “El Rey de la Música Ranchera” (The King of Ranchera Music), Fernández started his career singing for tips on the street, and grew to become a cultural icon, recording more than 50 albums and contributing to more than 30 films.

Vicente’s fame rose after the death of Javier Solís (El Rey del Bolero Ranchero). His repertoire consists of rancheras and other Mexican classics. He sometimes performs with a mariachi group, but he was not technically a mariachi musician. According to BBC Music, Fernández' work has earned him three Grammy Awards, eight Latin Grammy Awards, fourteen Lo Nuestro Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has sold over 50 million copies worldwide, making him one of the best-selling regional Mexican artists of all time. In 2016, Fernández retired from performing live, although he continued to record and publish music.

On August 6th, 2021, he was hospitalized after a serious fall at his ranch, injuring his cervical spine and was placed on a ventilator. Two weeks later, he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome and began treatment for his injuries. On October 26th, 2021, he left the intensive care after an improvement in his condition, but was admitted again on November 30th, 2021 due to pneumonia. He died of complications from his injuries on December 12th, 2021.