Legendary Mexican-Argentinian singer Diego Verdaguer dies at 70

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Legendary Mexican-Argentinian singer Diego Verdaguer dies at 70 Diego Verdaguer Diego Verdaguer, whose hits include 'Volveré, dies of COVID complications Diego Verdaguer was born in Buenos Aires on April 26, 1951. Diego Verdaguer debuted as a solo artist when Diego Verdaguer was 17 with the single “Lejos del amor,” which was followed by “Yo te amo” and “Volveré,” according to the AP. Diego Verdaguer has lived in Mexico since 1980. MEXICO CITY — Argentine singer-songwriter Diego Verdaguer, whose romantic hits such as "Corazón de papel," "Yo te amo" and "Volveré" sold almost 50 million copies, has died of complications from COVID-19, his family said Friday. He was 70. The naturalized Mexican-Argentine musician, who was married to singer Amanda Miguel, died Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles, his daughter Ana Victoria said in a statement released by Diam Music, Verdaguer's record company. "With absolute sadness, I regret to inform his fans and friends that today my father left his beautiful body to continue his path and creativity in another form of eternal life," said his daughter. "My mother, I and the whole family are immersed in this pain, so we appreciate your understanding in these difficult times." The statement was also published on the Twitter account of Amanda Miguel, who wrote "#restinpeace" along with the emojis of a pair of her hands palm to palm and a white heart." Verdaguer dedicated his last blog post to his wife, writing: "I will never tire of dedicating this song to you. You are the thief who stole my heart!" he wrote, referring to his song "Thief." Verdaguer contracted COVID-19 in December and was hospitalized, according to the statement. His publicist in Mexico, Claudia López Ibarra, said he was vaccinated against the coronavirus. "Yes, he was vaccinated ... but the virus attacked him in the U.S. when the Delta variant was present," López Ibarra told the AP in a text message on Friday. Miguel has publicly expressed anti-vaccine views. According to the publicist, Verdaguer frequently traveled to the United States, especially after the birth of Lucca, the eldest son of Ana Victoria, who lives in Los Angeles. "We deeply regret the loss of #diegoverdaguer, we were together recently when the came to our concert in Los Angeles. A hug for @amandamiguels and his family," tweeted the Argentine singing duo Pimpinela. He began his career as a teenager Verdaguer was born in Buenos Aires on April 26, 1951 and debuted as a soloist at the age of 17 with the single "Lejos del amor", which was followed by others such as "Yo te amo" and "Volveré." Since 1980, he had lived in Mexico, a country to which he dedicated his album "Mexicano hasta las Pampas," which was nominated for two Latin Grammys, and its sequel, "Mexicano hasta las Pampas 2," as well as the live album "Mexicanísimos." "I can tell you, I am more Mexican than anything. I love Mexico, I love what Mexico has meant in my life, I love the opportunities that Mexico has given me," the artist said in an interview with The Associated Press in 2019. Verdaguer met Miguel when she was 18 and he was 24. His daughter Ana Victoria was born in 1983. "Amanda Miguel has been my inspiration since I met her," Verdaguer told the AP. "I really appreciate everything we've done together as a couple, as artists, as individuals." In 2019, Verdaguer was recognized by the Mexican Society of Authors and Composers with a special award for his 50-year career. In recent years, Verdaguer made the leap to streaming and accumulated more than 2 million followers on social networks. "You have to evolve spiritually and understand the meaning of life," Verdaguer told the AP. "We came to live a divine experience, we came to learn, we came to give ourselves, we came to perfect ourselves, we came to give, we came to help, because giving and helping one feels better." No details about Verdaguer's funeral were released. An international career In 1975, their show began to sell all over Argentina and Verdaguer won the award for "Best Youth Show" at the San Lorenzo Stadium Carnivals, where Sandro de America, Camilo Sesto, Roberto Carlos, Cacho Castaña and Joan Manuel Serrat also performed. Under the artistic representation of Hugo López, Verdaguer achieved his first international hit "Volveré", which had a great impact in Mexico and sold more than five million copies, earning him several Gold Records. The success continued with "Yo Pescador de Amor" and "El Pasadiscos," which led him to settle in Mexico and sign under the Melody label. In 1979 he recorded in New York the album "El Secreto Callado," with the collaboration of the Argentine lyricist Graciela Carballo and the orchestral direction of Jorge Calandrelli. The hits "Secreto Callado," "Es así Amor," "Yo no Lloro por Llorar" and "Yo quisiera que tú" stand out from this album. Sales in Latin America exceeded 500,000 albums and more than 1 million singles sold. In 1981, he released the album "Estoy Vivo," recorded in Los Angeles, California, produced by himself and Mexican musician José Quintana, who also produced Juan Gabriel, Marisela, Maná, Amanda Miguel along with others like Diego Verdaguer, Herp Alpert, María Conchita Alonso. He also worked with other musicians of the time, such as Abraham Laboriel, Carlos Ríos and Craig Mattison. From this album came the hits "Corazón de papel," "Que sufras más," "Creo solamente en ti" and the great international hit "La Ladrona," which reached first place in Mexico, all of Latin America, the United States, Spain, Italy and many other European nations, as well as Japan. In 1982 "Coco Loco" was released, an innovative fusion of Latin rhythms with other musical genres. Although the promotion of the album was threatened because the record company Melody was bought by Televisa, it sold more than half a million copies. Juan Gabriel recorded with Diego the song "El Sol ya Salió," which was never released. While waiting for the birth of his daughter Ana Victoria, he recorded a duet with Amanda Miguel, "Simplemente Amor," the namesake of another album, with songs like "Nena" and "Usted qué haría." His fifth album, "Estoy Celoso," was arranged by the Argentine orchestrator Bebu Silvetti (who later made the great albums "Romances de Luis Miguel" and was the architect of Marco Antonio Solis' emergence as a soloist). It included co-authorships with Maestro Armando Manzanero and Argentine composers Roberto Livi and Alejandro Vezzani. The first cut, "Pájaro que comió, voló," was No. 1 on the Billoboard Hit Parade in the United States and Puerto Rico; the album sold over 300,000 units. Creating his own record label In 1987, together with his wife, Amanda Miguel, Verdaguer opened his own record company, DIAM Music. He acquired all the rights to his masters and all his productions have been released on the label. He recorded the album "Sigo vivo," produced by Horacio Lanzi, Lorenzo Toppano and Graciela Carballo. In 1990 he was co-author and producer of the song "El Rostro del Amor," dedicated to the second visit of Pope John Paul II to Mexico. It was also the second time he recorded a duet with his wife, "Volvamos a empezar." The video reached the No. 1 spot on the international television channel MTV. In 1992, Verdaguer again gave another musical surprise, this time with "Lágrimas," which combines ballads with Latin rhythms such as merengue. He produced it in collaboration with his artistic director, Rubén Estevez. In 1999, he got a double Gold Record for the album "Inolvidable," which he produced in Los Angeles, together with the Mexican musician Gustavo Farías. Verdaguer and Miguel made two national tours in theaters: "Gira de plata" (2000) with a total of 64 concerts in the 32 states of the Mexican Republic and "Agua Pura" with 42 concerts. In 2003 they offered a concert at the Metropolitan Theater in Mexico City, called "Siempre fuimos dos." They released a single and a CD/DVD of the same title, which sold more than 80,000 units in Mexico and the United States. In 2007 DIAM Music recorded and produced a concert with Miguel at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City. It was released simultaneously in Mexico and the United States under the title "El mejor show romántico de América" (The best romantic show in America). It received two Gold Records and remained in the Top 10 of physical sales for six weeks in Mexico. Source NPR Boston News AZ Central