Argentine singer Verdaguer dies of COVID-19 complications

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Argentine singer-songwriter Diego Verdaguer, whose romantic hits such as “Corazón de papel,” “Yo te amo” and “Volveré” sold almost 50 million copies, has died of complications from COVID-19, his family said Friday. He was 70.

The naturalized Mexican-Argentine musician, who was married to singer Amanda Miguel, died Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles, his daughter Ana Victoria said in a statement released by Diam Music, Verdaguer’s record company.

“With absolute sadness, I regret to inform his fans and friends that today my father left his beautiful body to continue his path and creativity in another form of eternal life,” said his daughter. “My mother, I and the whole family are immersed in this pain, so we appreciate your understanding in these difficult times.”

The statement was also published on the Twitter account of Amanda Miguel, who wrote ”#restinpeace” along with the emojis of a pair of her hands palm to palm and a white heart.”

Verdaguer dedicated his last blog post to his wife, writing: “I will never tire of dedicating this song to you. You are the thief who stole my heart!” he wrote, referring to his song “Thief.”

Verdaguer contracted COVID-19 in December and was hospitalized, according to the statement. His publicist in Mexico, Claudia López Ibarra, said he was vaccinated against the coronavirus.

“Yes, he was vaccinated … but the virus attacked him in the U.S. when the Delta variant was present,” López Ibarra told the AP in a text message on Friday.

Miguel has publicly expressed anti-vaccine views.

According to the publicist, Verdaguer frequently traveled to the United States, especially after the birth of Lucca, the eldest son of Ana Victoria, who lives in Los Angeles.

“We deeply regret the loss of #diegoverdaguer, we were together recently when the came to our concert in Los Angeles. A hug for @amandamiguels and his family,” tweeted the Argentine singing duo Pimpinela.

Verdaguer was born in Buenos Aires on April 26, 1951 and debuted as a soloist at the age of 17 with the single “Lejos del amor”, which was followed by others such as “Yo te amo” and “Volveré.”

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Since 1980, he had lived in Mexico, a country to which he dedicated his album “Mexicano hasta las Pampas,” which was nominated for two Latin Grammys, and its sequel, “Mexicano hasta las Pampas 2,” as well as the live album “Mexicanísimos.”

“I can tell you, I am more Mexican than anything. I love Mexico, I love what Mexico has meant in my life, I love the opportunities that Mexico has given me,” the artist said in an interview with The Associated Press in 2019.

Verdaguer met Miguel when she was 18 and he was 24. His daughter Ana Victoria was born in 1983.

“Amanda Miguel has been my inspiration since I met her,” Verdaguer told the AP. “I really appreciate everything we’ve done together as a couple, as artists, as individuals.”

In 2019, Verdaguer was recognized by the Mexican Society of Authors and Composers with a special award for his 50-year career.

In recent years, Verdaguer made the leap to streaming and accumulated more than 2 million followers on social networks.

“You have to evolve spiritually and understand the meaning of life,” Verdaguer told the AP. “We came to live a divine experience, we came to learn, we came to give ourselves, we came to perfect ourselves, we came to give, we came to help, because giving and helping one feels better.”

No details about Verdaguer’s funeral were released.

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AP journalist Sigal Ratner-Arias contributed from New York.