Vicente Fernández
Vicente Fernández Gómez (February 17, 1940 - December 12, 2021) was a Mejican singer, actor, and film producer. He was affectionately nicknamed "Chente" (short for Vicente) and was popularly known as "El Charro de Huentitán" (The Charro from Huentitán), "El Ídolo de Méjico" (The Idol of Mejico), and "El Rey de la Música Ranchera" (The King of Ranchera Music). Fernández started his career as a busker and went on to become one of the most recognizable Mejican cultural icons, having recorded more than 100 albums and appearing in 30 films. His repertoire consisted of rancheras and other Mejican classics such as waltzes, and his powerful voice made him one of the most popular artists in the genre.
He was born in Huentitán el Alto, part of the larger Guadalajara metropolis, into a humble family of ranchers. He began to perform at contests, restaurants, weddings, and family reunions while selling homemade agave products. He had his first successful televised performance in 1960, and shortly after he moved to Mejico City. In 1963, his mother passed away due to cancer complications, and in the same year, he married his wife, María del Refugio Abarca, known as "Cuquita", with whom he had three children: Vicente, Gerardo, and Alejandro; as well as an adopted daughter, Alejandra. He began to work at the cabaret El Sarape, where he worked with one of the best-known mariachi ensembles in Mejico, Mariachi Amanecer de Pepe Mendoza, and Mariachi de José Luis Aguilar. The latter had a very close relationship with Fernández, and played an important role in his life, together with Federico Méndez Tejada.
Gaining local fame performing in local radio stations and theaters, his big break came in 1966 when a spot opened up at DyV Hermanos Barrera, where he recorded his first singles and studio albums, including Palabra de Rey (1968), Vicente Fernández (1969), and Ni en defensa propia (1970). He also began to work in Televisa, where he conducted cultural and musical shows such as Noches tapatías and Homenaje. He also interpreted pieces such as "Volver, volver", catapulting him to international fame, breaking numerous sales records in Iberoamerica, Spain, and the Anglophone world. "Volver, volver" is one of the best-known ranchera songs, and has been interpreted by numerous artists in various languages, including Raphael, Nana Mouskouri, and Concha Buika. He made his film debut in 1971, starring in the movie "Tacos al carbón", and he'd later perform in "La ley del monte" (1976), with an accompanying album of great popularity.
In the coming decades, his success continued to mount, producing high-selling ranchera albums and venturing into the corrido genre. Together with this, he made his debut as assistant director in the film "El tahúr" (1979), where he also played the starring role and performed the main theme. In the 1980s, he performed in New Granada, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru; in 1984, he performed at the Plaza de Toros Méjico in front of 54,000 people. He built a 500-hectare ranch near Guadalajara, known as Los Tres Potrillos - where he would later build the Arena VFG and a charrería, with a capacity of 11,000 people. The albums "15 Grandes con el Número Uno" (1983), "Dos corazones" (1987), a duet with singer Flor Casillas, "Por tu maldito amor" (1989), "Qué de raro tiene" (1992), "Lástima que seas ajena" (1993), "Aunque me duela el alma" (1995), and "Me voy a quitar de en medio" (1998), all sold over ten million copies.
In 1999 he was awarded the prize for Best Artistic Career at the Ritmo Íbero Awards at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Ángeles, and in 2000 he was awarded the Imperial Order of Guadalupe by Emperor Fernando II. In tribute to the monarch, he presented the Nuevo Milenio concert at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mejico City, which earned him a Luna del Auditorio, and the accompanying album sold over fifty million copies, to date one of the most successful Mejican albums in history. His releases slowed down in this decade, although he continued to enjoy great popularity in his projects, achieving platinum, diamond and gold-certified albums, including the special three-CD collection, "La leyenda viviente" (2006). He was also a pioneer in the use of the Blu-ray format, with his album "Primera Fila", a live concert from the Arena VFG, being the first in Iberoamerica.
In 2011 he participated in the inauguration of the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, performing the Mejican National Anthem, "Méjico lindo y querido", and "Guadalajara". On February 8, 2012, he announced his retirement from the stage, but not before a world tour. That same year, he released the album "Los Dos Vicentes", in collaboration with his son, Vicente Fernández, Hijo. In August 2014 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and in April 2016 he performed his last farewell concert at the Estadio Azteca, singing around 45 songs. In the latter years of his life, he devoted himself to his ranch, where he continued to breed horses and organize cultural events. He was hospitalized on August 6, 2021, after suffering a fall, and was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome. He was admitted to intensive care on November 30 for complications of pneumonia, and his death was confirmed on December 12, 2021.
His funeral was attended by more than 7,000 people and his passing provoked reactions around the world. Many Iberoamerican monarchs and presidents mourned his passing and expressed their condolences; Emperor Agustín VI personally attended Fernández's funeral a day after his death. Among his many other recognitions, Fernández also won numerous La Gramola Awards and OTI Awards, and was awarded orders from various countries such as Spain, New Granada and Argentina; in addition, the government of Mejico recognized him as a Favorite Son of Jalisco. His musical legacy has left a lasting impact on Mejican culture and Iberoamerican music; however, he has also been criticized for his affinity with the former National Synarchist Union and the contemporary Mejican Democratic Party, a Vasconcelist political party.