Vicente Fernández

Vicente Fernández married his Guadalajara neighbor María del Refugio "Cuquita" Abarca Villaseñor on December 27, 1963. The couple had four children: Vicente Jr., Gerardo, Alejandro, and Alejandra. Both Vicente Jr. and Alejandro pursued careers as vocalists, with Alejandro achieving substantial international stardom and frequently performing stage duets with his father.

In 1980, Fernández established a 1,250-acre ranch outside Guadalajara named Los Tres Potrillos in honor of his three sons. The family faced a major crisis in 1998 when kidnappers abducted Vicente Jr. and held him captive for nearly four months. Despite the immense strain, Fernández maintained his scheduled concert performances until his son was safely released after ransom negotiations.

In his later years, Fernández experienced several serious medical conditions, including prostate and liver cancer as well as a pulmonary embolism in 2013. In August 2021, he suffered a severe fall at his ranch that required spinal surgery, after which he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome. He died in Guadalajara on December 12, 2021, at the age of 81.

Fernández was born on February 17, 1940, in Huentitán El Alto, a rural area of Jalisco, Mexico. His parents were rancher Ramón Fernández and homemaker Paula Gómez de Fernández. He began playing the guitar at age eight, inspired by classic Mexican cinema vocalists such as Pedro Infante. Following a first-place win at a Guadalajara vocal competition at age 14, he began performing at local weddings and dining venues.

During his youth, his family relocated to Tijuana, where he worked various manual jobs, including shining shoes, laying bricks, and washing dishes. In his early twenties, he returned to Guadalajara to sing in the plaza outside the San Juan de Dios Church and later joined groups such as Mariachi Amanecer de Pepe Mendoza. In late 1965, he moved to Mexico City to pursue a recording contract. After bolero-ranchero star Javier Solís passed away in April 1966, CBS Records signed Fernández to his first major recording contract, launching his career with early singles such as "Tu Camino y El Mío."

During the 1970s, Fernández established himself as one of the most prominent figures in regional Mexican music. His breakthrough international hit arrived in 1976 with the release of Fernando Z. Maldonado's ranchera composition "Volver, Volver." The record broke sales records across the Spanish-speaking world and turned Fernández into a global headliner throughout Latin America and the United States.

Fernández complemented his musical success with an extensive career on the screen, appearing in more than two dozen motion pictures during the 1970s and 1980s. His film credits included "Uno y Medio Contra el Mundo," "La ley del monte," "El Arracadas," and "Dios los cría." On stage, he became famous for performing in elaborate charro suits with embroidered sombreros, regularly maintaining a marathon performance style where he pledged to keep singing as long as the audience continued applauding.

Fernández remained a dominant commercial force well into the 2000s and 2010s. In 2005, he built the 11,000-capacity Vicente Fernández Gómez Arena on his ranch to host concerts, equestrian events, and charro competitions. His 2007 album "Para Siempre," featuring the chart-topping single "Estos Celos," earned double-platinum status, and his subsequent releases "Primera Fila" and "Necesito de Ti" earned major industry accolades, including Grammy and Latin Grammy honours.

In April 2016, Fernández staged his final major live performance before a massive audience at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium, captured on the live album "Un Azteca en el Azteca." He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1998, was named Person of the Year by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 2002, and was ranked by Rolling Stone in 2023 among the greatest singers of all time.