Mexican Ballander Armando Manzanero passed away after being hospitalized for contracting Coronavirus
Known for his romantic ballads, Armando Manzanero died at age 85. Manzanero had been hospitalized and put on a ventilator when he got Coronavirus in December. However, his son reported the cause of death to be from cardiac arrest due to kidney problems.
His death was announced by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who expressed his condolences to the world and the Armando Manzanero family.
Manzanero was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Grammy, which he earned in 2014. He is an actor and composed over 400 songs that continue to charm people all over the world. Two of his most well-known pieces are “Somos novios” (We’re lovers) and “Contigo aprendi” (With you, I learned).
His music has been performed by many different singers throughout his 7-decade career. Some of them include Placido Domingo, Celia Cruz, Andrea Bocelli, Vikki Carr, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, and Celia Cruz.
Manzanero was born on December 7, 1935, in Ticul, Yucatan. He began making music very young, and at age 15, he wrote his first bolero. His passion and early exposure to music can be attributed to his family. His mother, Juana Canché, performed folkloric Yucatán dances; his father, Santiago Manzanero, was a musician.
Armando Manzanero knew he wanted to pursue music, so he went to study at the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City.
He developed a passion for infusing melodies with love poems. As he said during an interview, “The best language for love is song. Just as the lungs need air, romance needs a song.”
The man was a hard worker and loved what he did. In fact, he was halfway through the recording of another album when he passed and was planning to go on tour in Mexico and the United States this year.
Manzanero will live on through his music and the beautiful words and messages that each one holds. A true composer of art. In the words of Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, “one of the greatest poets of the Spanish language.”
