Photos: Remembering the life and legacy of Mexico's King of Rancheras

By Mandalit del Barco,

Grace Widyatmadja

Published December 15, 2021 at 8:15 PM CST

Flowers and candles surround the Hollywood Walk of Fame star of the late Mexican musician Vicente Fernandez, Monday, Dec. 13, 2021, in Los Angeles.

The death of singer Vicente Fernández — nicknamed "El Chente" — hit hard for Mexicans around the world, particularly for the older generation. He was known to his many fans as El Rey — the King — of Ranchera, a musical style rooted in the values and traditions of rural Mexico.

He was born and died in Guadalajara, Mexico, the epicenter of ranchera music. For more than half a century, the mustachioed mariachi superstar belted out songs like Volver Volver, an anthem to lost love. With his elegant charro suit, a magnificent wide-brimmed sombrero and a pistol on his hip, he was a cultural icon. During his long career, he sold more than 50 million albums, starred in dozens of films, won three Grammys, eight Latin Grammys, and left a musical legacy.

In one of his most popular songs, El Rey, he sang "el día que yo me muera sé que tendrás que llorar." Translation: "On the day I die I know you will have to cry." This week, those lyrics came to be, as his family, friends and many fans mourned, from the Los Tres Potrillos ranch where he was laid to rest in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, Jalisco state, Mexico, to Hollywood, Calif., where he has a star on the Walk of Fame.

View of candles and flowers to honor Mexican singer Vicente Fernandez outside the Rancho los Tres Potrillos in Tlajomulco, Mexico, on December 12, 2021, on the day of his death. - Fernandez, the most important representative of ranchera music in Mexico, died Sunday in Guadalajara at 81, after remaining in the hospital for almost five months due to a domestic accident, his family informed. — View of candles and flowers to honor Mexican singer Vicente Fernández outside the Rancho los Tres Potrillos in Tlajomulco, Mexico, on Dec. 12, on the day of his death. Fernández, the most important representative of ranchera music in Mexico, died Sunday in Guadalajara at 81, after remaining in the hospital for almost five months due to a domestic accident, his family informed.

Musicians pay tribute to Mexican singer Vicente Fernandez outside the Rancho los Tres Potrillos in Tlajomulco, Mexico, on December 12, 2021, on the day of his death. — Musicians pay tribute to Mexican singer Vicente Fernández outside the Rancho los Tres Potrillos in Tlajomulco, Mexico, on Dec. 12, on the day of his death.

A fan of Mexican singer Vicente Fernandez arrives in a car with his portrait outside the Country 2000 hospital where he died, in Guadalajara, Mexico, on December 12, 2021. - Fernandez, the most important representative of ranchera music in Mexico, died Sunday in Guadalajara at 81, after remaining in the hospital for almost five months due to a domestic accident, his family informed. — A fan of Mexican singer Vicente Fernández arrives in a car with his portrait outside the Country 2000 hospital where he died, in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Dec. 12.

The body of Mexican singer Vicente Fernandez is carried in a carriage on the Chapala highway towards "Los Tres Potrillos" Ranch in Tlajomulco, Mexico, on December 10, 2021. — The body of Mexican singer Vicente Fernández is carried in a carriage on the Chapala highway toward Los Tres Potrillos Ranch in Tlajomulco, Mexico, on Dec. 10.

The sons of Mexican singer Vicente Fernandez, Gerardo (L-Front), Alejandro (R-back), Vicente Jr (R) and his widow Maria del Refugio Abarca (R-Front), mourn next to his coffin during his funeral at "Los Tres Potrillos" ranch in Tlajomulco de Zuñiga, Jalisco state, Mexico, on December 13, 2021. — The sons of Mexican singer Vicente Fernández, Gerardo (L-Front), Alejandro (R-back), Vicente Jr (R) and his widow Maria del Refugio Abarca (R-Front), mourn next to his coffin during his funeral at "Los Tres Potrillos" ranch in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, Jalisco state, Mexico, on Dec. 13.

The coffin of Mexican singer Vicente Fernandez is displayed during his funeral at "Los Tres Potrillos" ranch in Tlajomulco de Zuñiga, Jalisco state, Mexico, on December 13, 2021. — The coffin of Mexican singer Vicente Fernández is displayed during his funeral at "Los Tres Potrillos" ranch in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, Jalisco state, Mexico, on Dec. 13.