Legendary Mexican musician Vicente Fernández, known as the "King of ranchera music" has died at age 81.
"We regret to inform you of his death on Sunday, December 12 at 6:15 a.m.," a post on the singer's Instagram page said.
Fernández, known also by his nickname ″Chente,″ died in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, according to his family.
The singer of such hits including “Volver, volver” and “Por tu maldito amor,” suffered a fall at his ranch in Los Tres Potrillos, outside of Guadalajara. The fall caused spinal cord trauma, according to reports.
Fernández had numerous health issues in recent years. He was hospitalized for a renal infection recently and in 2012, he underwent a complex surgery that removed almost half of his liver because of a tumor.
A year after that he faced pulmonary thrombosis, and in March 2015, the singer had three hernias removed.
Fernández was known for other hits such as “El Rey,” “Para siempre” and “Lástima que seas ajena,” and his command of the ranchera and mariachi styles of music attracted fans far beyond Mexico’s borders.
He sold more than 65 million albums and filmed more than 35 movies. He won three Grammys and eight Latin Grammys, in addition to being named Person of the Year by the Latin Recording Academy in 2002.
