Alberto Aguilera Valadez, known professionally as Juan Gabriel, was a Mexican singer, songwriter and actor.
35 Facts About Juan Gabriel
2.
Colloquially nicknamed as Juanga and El Divo de Juarez, Juan Gabriel was known for his flamboyant style, which broke barriers within the Latin music industry.
3.
Juan Gabriel became interested in a local Methodist Church and met the sisters Leonor and Beatriz Berumen, who took him in.
4.
Juan Gabriel worked as a singer in other bars in the town.
5.
Juan Gabriel returned to Juarez, where he continued working as a singer.
6.
Juan Gabriel helped him, and due to the lack of evidence he was released from prison and lived in the Puentes Urtuzuastegui home for about 2 years where he found shelter, protection and support to write more songs and launch his profesional career as Juan Gabriel.
7.
Juan Gabriel started to use the pseudonym Juan Gabriel.
8.
In 1971, Juan Gabriel released his first studio album El Alma Joven.
9.
In 1972, Juan Gabriel participated at the OTI Festival, where he sang the songs "Sera Manana" and "Uno, Dos y Tres ".
10.
Over fifteen years, Juan Gabriel's fame grew as he recorded 15 albums and sold 20 million records.
11.
Juan Gabriel wrote and recorded over 1000 songs in a variety of music genre.
12.
Juan Gabriel established himself as Mexico's leading commercial singer-songwriter, penning in many diverse styles such as rancheras with mariachi, ballads, pop, rock, disco, with an incredible string of hits for himself and for leading Latin singers including among many others Lucha Villa, Daniela Romo and Ana Gabriel and international stars Luis Miguel, Rocio Durcal and Jose Jose who in 1978 achieved international recognition thanks to Aguilera's ballad "Lo Pasado, Pasado".
13.
Juan Gabriel's lyrics dealt with heartbreak and romantic relationships that became hymns throughout Latin America, Spain, and the United States.
14.
Juan Gabriel received a Grammy nomination for "Best Latin Pop Album" for Recuerdos, Vol.
15.
In 1990 Juan Gabriel became the first non-classical act to perform at the Palacio de Bellas Artes.
16.
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.
17.
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.
18.
Juan Gabriel holds the record for most albums peaking at number one on the Top Latin Albums chart in a short period time.
19.
Between 1986 and 1994, Juan Gabriel refused to record any material because of a dispute with BMG over copyrights to his songs.
20.
Juan Gabriel continued his career in live stage performances, setting attendance records throughout Latin America.
21.
Juan Gabriel stated that Salas was "the best friend of my life".
22.
On 26 October 2016, Primer Impacto found the sixth child of Juan Gabriel, named Joao Gabriel, living in Los Angeles, California.
23.
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.
24.
Juan Gabriel was forced to stay off tour and bedridden for eight months.
25.
On 28 August 2016, Juan Gabriel died in Santa Monica, California, reportedly from a heart attack.
26.
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.
27.
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.
28.
Juan Gabriel was a lifelong supporter of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which governed Mexico from 1929 to 2000 and again from 2012 to 2018.
29.
Juan Gabriel received the Lo Nuestro Excellence Award in 1991.
30.
In 1999, Juan Gabriel received the People's Choice Awards for Best Regional Artist.
31.
Juan Gabriel received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in May 2002.
32.
Juan Gabriel's death became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter after news reports were confirmed.
33.
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.
34.
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.
35.
Juan Gabriel was portrayed by Colombian actor Julian Roman and Gabriel served as the executive producer.