In September, rock en español lost the great Marciano Cantero, Los Enanitos Verdes‘ frontman, who left a remarkable legacy beyond the Latin rock space. Known for ’90s rock classics such as “Luz de Día” and “Lamento Boliviano,” in 2019, the rockero veteran joined Bad Bunny and J Balvin for their urban-alternative track “Un Peso,” part of their collaborative album Oasis.
Like Cantero, legacy acts that have passed away — such as Antonio Aguilar, Vicente Fernández, Celia Cruz, Héctor Lavoe, Ariel Camacho, Selena Quintanilla and Jenni Rivera — remain relevant thanks to their anthemic rancheras or timeless salsa songs that continue to soundtrack Latin households in the U.S. and across Latin America. They’ve also inspired the new generation of artists. Grupo Firme‘s Eduin Caz told Billboard that watching artists such as Rivera onstage, “I realized the type of artist I wanted to be. I knew I didn’t just want to be a singer — I wanted to be a star.”
To this day, sierreño Camacho, who died in a car accident in 2015 at age 23, is cited as an inspiration to today’s new wave of regional Mexican artists including Eslabon Armado, Natanael Cano and Christian Nodal.
Billboard is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by highlighting 16 of the most iconic musical figures in Latin music. From Mexico’s emblematic mariachi singer Antonio Aguilar to Puerto Rico’s “voice of salsa” Hector Lavoe to Texas’ memorable “Queen of Tejano” Selena Quintanilla and beyond, check out a list of late Latin music icons, their cultural relevance today, and biggest Billboard hits below:
