1. Colloquially nicknamed Juanga and el Divo de Juarez, Juan Gabriel was known for his flamboyant style, which broke norms and standards within the Latin music industry.
33 Facts About Juan Gabriel
1. 2.
The son of Gabriel Aguilera Rodriguez and Victoria Valadez Rojas, of the influential Macias-Valadez of Jalisco, Juan was the youngest of their ten children.
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Juan Gabriel returned to Juarez, where he continued working locally.
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Juan Gabriel started to use the pseudonym Juan Gabriel.
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In 1971, Juan Gabriel released his first studio album El Alma Joven.
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In 1972, Juan Gabriel participated at the OTI Festival, where he sang the songs "Sera Manana" and "Uno, Dos y Tres ".
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In 1975, Juan Gabriel made his acting debut in the film Nobleza ranchera with Sara Garcia and Veronica Castro.
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Juan Gabriel wrote and recorded over 1,000 songs in a variety of musical genres.
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Juan Gabriel's lyrics dealt with heartbreak and romantic relationships that became hymns throughout Latin America, Spain, and the United States.
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Juan Gabriel received a Grammy nomination for "Best Latin Pop Album" for Recuerdos, Vol.
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In 1990 Juan Gabriel became the first non-classical act to perform at the Palacio de Bellas Artes.
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At the time of his death, Juan Gabriel was touring the United States and was scheduled to perform at a concert in El Paso, Texas, that same day.
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Juan Gabriel had four albums which reached number one on the Top Latin Albums from 2015 and 2016, including Vestido de Etiqueta por Eduardo Magallanes, which reached number one a week before he died.
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Juan Gabriel holds the record for most albums peaking at number one on the Top Latin Albums chart over a short time.
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Between 1986 and 1994, Juan Gabriel refused to record any material because of a dispute with BMG over copyrights to his songs.
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Juan Gabriel continued his career in live stage performances, setting attendance records throughout Latin America.
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Juan Gabriel had six children, four of them having a version in different languages of the name John.
18.
Juan Gabriel stated that Salas was "the best friend of my life".
19.
On 26 October 2016, Primer Impacto found the sixth child of Juan Gabriel, named Joao Gabriel, living in Los Angeles, California.
20.
On 14 November 2005, Juan Gabriel was injured when he fell from the stage at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, and was hospitalized at Texas Medical Center.
21.
Juan Gabriel sustained a cervical fracture on his neck, forcing him to refrain from performing on tour while being bedridden for eight months.
22.
Juan Gabriel was a lifelong supporter of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which governed Mexico from 1929 to 2000 and from 2012 to 2018.
23.
On 28 August 2016, Juan Gabriel died in Santa Monica, California, reportedly from a heart attack.
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Juan Gabriel's body was cremated; his ashes were returned to a house he owned in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, after receiving tributes from the city and Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City.
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Juan Gabriel continued to do 10 to 12 performances per year as benefit concerts for his favorite children's homes, usually posing for pictures with his fans and forwarding the proceeds from the photo ops to support Mexican orphans.
26.
Juan Gabriel received the Lo Nuestro Excellence Award in 1991.
27.
In 1999, Juan Gabriel received the People's Choice Awards for Best Regional Artist.
28.
Juan Gabriel received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in May 2002.
29.
Juan Gabriel's death became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter after news reports were confirmed.
30.
Gabriel Abaroa, the CEO of the Latin Recording Academy, said his legacy was "much more than one or hundreds of songs; he composed philosophy" and that Juan Gabriel "broke taboos, devoured stages and conquered diverse audiences".
31.
Juan Gabriel's songs have been covered by artists such as Rocio Durcal, Gloria Trevi, La India, and Marc Anthony, the latter of whom credits his song "Hasta Que Te Conoci" as the inspiration to launch his career in Latin music.
32.
Tribute albums to Juan Gabriel have been recorded by several artists including Cristian Castro, Pedro Fernandez, Lorenzo Antonio, Alvaro Torres, Los Tri-O, Nydia Rojas, and La India.
33.
Juan Gabriel was portrayed by Colombian actor Julian Roman and Juan Gabriel served as the executive producer.