Photos: Juan Gabriel dies at 66 after dazzling the stage for decades
Juan Gabriel, a superstar Mexican songwriter and singer who was an icon in the Latin music world, died Sunday at his home in California at age 66, his publicist said.
Mexican singer Juan Gabriel will be honored at the 2016 Latin American Music Awards next month, but there are no plans for a tribute at the Latin Grammys in November.
Telemundo announced Tuesday that singers Lila Downs, Shaila Durcal and Aida Cuevas will be joined on stage by Mariachi de Mi Tierra Juan Gabriel, which toured with the late singer for more than two decades, at the Latin AMAs on Oct. 6 to pay homage to the legendary singer.
Gabriel Abaroa Jr., president of the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which holds the Latin Grammys, said his organization has no plans to honor “El Divo de Juárez” at their awards ceremony scheduled for Nov. 17 in Las Vegas, El Universal reported.
“Juan Gabriel was recognized as Person of the Year in 2009, and we have not thought about having a segment or a special tribute at the Latin Grammy ceremony,” Abaroa said, according to the Mexican newspaper.
Juan Gabriel, whose real name was Alberto Aguilera Valadez, died in late August after a massive heart attack. A flamboyant performer, he liked to wear sequined jackets or dress in shiny silk outfits in hot pink, turquoise blue or canary yellow, and he was known for tossing his head before dancing or jumping around the stage.
He wrote his first song at age 13 and went on to compose more than 1,500 of them.
The singer was nominated six times for a Latin Grammy when he was alive and received two more nominations this year in the Album of the Year category for "Los Duo 2," and in the Best Traditional Pop/Vocal Album category for the same record.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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