Rigo Tovar

Diagnoses

Vocation

Notable

Mexican singer famous for his cumbias, who infused traditional Mexican and Latin music with modern instruments like the electric guitar and synthesizer and popular styles such as rock and soul music. After moving to Houston, Texas, his musical career began to take off in the early 1970s. Blending cumbia, tropical, and modern pop rock, he quickly gained a large following. In 1971, Tovar released his first album Matamoros Querido which garnered two hits, "Matamoros Querido" and "Lamento De Amor". During his career, Tovar broke several attendance records in Mexico and throughout Latin America (many of which still stand to this day), sold over 30 million albums, and continues to influence countless artists of all genres. Tovar suffered from retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic eye condition for which there is no current medical treatment and the reason for his constant use of dark sunglasses. He started losing his sight in his mid-20s and eventually went blind. He also suffered from vitiligo, a skin condition where loss of pigmentation causes patches of light skin to appear on the body. A few days shy of his 59th birthday, Tovar died on 27 March 2005, from diabetic complications leading to cardio-respiratory failure. Link to Wikipedia biography