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Vicente “Chente” Fernández (1940–2021), beloved Mexican singer and actor

by Linnea Crowther

Vicente “Chente” Fernández was an iconic Mexican singer and actor called “The King of Ranchero Music.”

El Rey de la Música Ranchera

Fernández’ musical career took off when he released the single “Volver, Volver” (“Return, Return”) in 1976. It was a hit across Latin America and became a standard, covered by many artists in the years to come. He was already starring in movies then, and he would appear in more than two dozen films over 20 years, including “La Ley del Monte,” “El Abañil,” and “Coyote and Bronca.” Fernández retired from acting in 1991, but his musical career remained strong throughout the 1990s, 2000s, and beyond. He won three Grammy Awards, nine Latin Grammy Awards, and 14 Lo Nuestro Awards. Among his hit songs were “Aunque Mal Paguen Ellas,” “Lastima Que Seas Ajena,” “Para Siempre,” and “El Ultimo Beso,” a No. 1 hit on the Hot Latin Songs chart in 2009. Fernández played his farewell concert in 2016 to an audience of more than 80,000 people, but he continued to record until recently. His 2020 album “A mis 80s” won Fernández his final Latin Grammy Award less than a month before his death.

Notable quote

“I will not leave Mexico. From my country, they will only take me out feet first.” —from an interview for Televisa

Tributes to Vicente “Chente” Fernández

Full obituary: Los Angeles Times

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