Diego Verdaguer, the Mexican-Argentine singer known for his romantic jams, died from COVID on Thursday. He was 70.
Verdaguer died at a hospital in Los Angeles, according to his family. He was hospitalized with COVID in December.
“With absolute sadness, we regret to inform all his public and friends, that our beloved Diego today left his beautiful body, to continue his path and creativity in another form of eternal life,” his family said in a statement. “The whole family is immersed in this pain, so we appreciate your understanding in this difficult time.”
Verdaguer’s many hits included “Corazón de papel,” “Yo te amo” and “Volveré,” and he sold around 50 million copies across his career.
According to Verdaguer’s publicist, he was vaccinated against COVID but caught it during the delta wave while visiting the U.S.
Verdaguer’s vaccine status was the subject of some speculation because his wife, Amanda Miguel, reportedly made anti-vaccine statements.
Born Miguel Atilio Boccadoro Hernández on April 26, 1951, in Buenos Aires, Verdaguer broke onto the music scene at age 17 with the single “Lejos del amor.” He followed it up with “Yo te amo” and “Volveré,” catapulting himself to international stardom.
Verdaguer moved to Mexico in 1980 and lived there for the rest of his life.
“I can tell you, I am more Mexican than anything,” he said in 2019. “I love Mexico, I love what Mexico has meant in my life, I love the opportunities that Mexico has given me.”
Verdaguer dedicated two albums to the country: “Mexicano hasta las Pampas” in 2009 and “Mexicano hasta las Pampas 2? in 2014. In 2009, “Mexicano hasta las Pampas” earned Verdaguer a Latin Grammy nomination.
Verdaguer and Miguel were also frequent collaborators and went on tour together in 2018.
“You have to evolve spiritually and understand the meaning of life,” Verdaguer said in 2019. “We came to live a divine experience, we came to learn, we came to give ourselves, we came to perfect ourselves, we came to give, we came to help, because giving and helping one feels better.”
With News Wire Services