Armando Manzanero, legendary Mexican singer and composer, dies at 85

The Mexican Association of Authors and Composers confirmed to CNN that Manzanero, who was 85, died in a hospital in Mexico City. CNN reported at the time that he was hospitalized in mid-December after testing positive for the Covid-19 virus.

Manzanero was a prolific composer, with over 600 songs to his name, according to the community. His songs have been translated by artists from all over the world, including Elvis Presley, Dionne Warwick, Perry Como, Spanish singer Raphael, and Mexican star Luis Miguel.

The Latin Recording Academy, which awards Latin Grammy Awards, expressed sympathy. “Armando Manzanero won the Musical Excellence Award and won the Latin Grammy, as well as a great friend who is now gone,” the organization said.

“We celebrate his life and work. An irreplaceable loss to the world of Latin music. We are with the Manzanero family in their grief.”

Manzanero won a Latin Grammy in 2001 for his album “Deutz”.

He went on to win a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014, becoming the first Mexican to receive this honor.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador expressed his condolences.

“Armando Manzanero was a sensitive man, a man of the people. That is why I feel sorry for his death,” he said during a news conference on Monday. “He was also a great composer.”

Manzanero will be cremated in Mexico City, and his remains will be transported to his hometown of Merida, in the state of Yucatan.

Mexico has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with 1,383,434 cases of coronavirus infection and 122,426 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.