Juan Gabriel was a prominent Mexican actor/singer/songwriter known for being one of the best-selling musicians/songwriters in Latin America. The singer, also known for his iconic songs and extravagant style, is still considered the king of Mexican pop today and has had a huge influence on several successful singers around the world. Juan is considered one of the most prolific Mexican stage stars of all time, having lived his life through the microphone from 1971 to 2016, when he took his last breath.
Who Is Juan Gabriel?
Juan Gabriel, known professionally as Juan Gabriel, was born Alberto Aguilera Valadez on January 7, 1950, in Paracuaro, Michoacán, Mexico, as the son of farmer Victoria Valadez (mother) and Gabriel Aguilera (father). He was a well-known singer, songwriter, and actor, born as the tenth child of his parents. When Gabriel was barely three months old, his father mistakenly burned a foreign land, which infected his nerves and almost cost him his life. Later he was taken to prison and placed in a psychiatric hospital in Mexico City. After some time, nothing more was heard about Gabriel, since it is not known whether he died or broke out of prison. His disappearance caused many problems in his family and also forced his wife to move to Ciudad Juarez with all her children.
When he came to Ciudad Juarez, Juan’s mother started working as a maid and later, at the age of 5, sent him to a boarding school. During his stay at school, Alberto met a teacher named Juan Contreras, who taught him to play the guitar and also to sing.
Here’s Everything You Need To Know About The Singer
Juan Gabriel Career
Juan Gabriel began writing songs at night at the age of thirteen. At the age of sixteen, he finally left home to concentrate more on his passion. He started singing in choirs, nightclubs, restaurants, and event centers. Not long after, he decided to secure the future of his musical career in Mexico, but he was rejected by many record companies who thought his songs were simple and they didn’t need more pop singers. Juan returned to Juarez to take odd jobs. He then moved to Mexico to try his luck again. This time he was hired as a background singer for several well-known musicians.
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While attending a friend’s birthday party in the city, he was arrested after he was wrongly accused of stealing. Gabriel spent a year and six months in prison, where his path crossed with the director of the prison, who was moved by his story and introduced Gabriel to the famous Mexican actress/singer Enriqueta, who would help him regain his freedom.
After his release, Alberto started a band together with the record company RCA Victor under the stage name Juan Gabriel (Gabriel and Juan in honor of his father and teacher, respectively). Gabriel dropped his debut album entitled “El alma Joven” in 1971. By the time of his death, Juan had sold over 100 million copies, 66 albums, more than 1,800 songs, a television series based on his life, and two films in his name. Some of his most remarkable songs include El Noa Noa, Te sigo amando, Amor Eterno, Yo no nací para Amar, Siempre en mi mente, Querida, No tengo dinero, Pero qué necesidad, Hasta que te conocí, Abrázame Muy Fuerte, Te lo pido por favor, En Esta primavera, Siempre en mi mente, De mí enamórate.
Juan Gabriel is considered one of the greatest musical influences for many Mexican and musical stars, including the singer and songwriter Julieta Venegas and the singer Marc Anthony.
Films And TV Shows
As an actor, Gabriel has appeared in major Mexican television series and films, some of them in 1979: En esta primavera (1979), 1980: El Noa Noa (1980), Nobleza ranchera (1977), ¿Qué Le Dijiste A Dios? (2014), 1965: Noches Rancheras (1965), Del otro lado del puente (1978), Es mi vida (1981), Hasta que te conocí (2016).
Family – Kids
Despite his fame and success, which transcended generations, borders, and social classes, Juan Gabriel died without making a covenant with a woman, even though he had fathered six children before death knocked.
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According to sources, the pop icon gave birth to four children, Jean Gabriel, Joan Gabriel, Iván Gabriel, and Hans Gabriel, through artificial insemination with a close friend named Laura Salas. Almost a month after his death, however, it was discovered that the singer had a fifth offspring, a son named Luis Alberto Aguilera. According to the news program Primer Impacto, Gabriel maintained a long-distance relationship with Luis, who currently lives in Las Vegas and is the son of Guadalupe Gonzalez, Juan’s former domestic worker. The singer’s alleged seventh child, Joao Gabriel, was found on October 26, 2016, by the same news program. Primer Impacto reported that Consuelo Rosales is the mother of the young man living in Los Angeles, California and that Rosales once served Juan as a domestic worker.
It was also learned that the genetic material used in genetic testing of Luis Alberto and Joao was provided by the singer’s brother, Pablo Aguilera. However, the information about Gabriel’s alleged children was not legally confirmed, as it was considered newspaper speculation.
Sexuality
During his lifetime, Juan Gabriel was considered Mexico’s homosexual icon, although he neither spoke about his sexuality nor identified with the homosexual community. On stage, he usually makes great sexy movements and, like David Bowie and Prince, was popular for his occasional eye make-up and sex-change outfits. In all the years he was in the spotlight, he decided to shield his sexual preferences while making the most of his career.
Juan Gabriel Death
The Mexican singer died of the consequences of a heart attack he suffered on August 28, 2016, in Santa Monica, California. His death shook Mexico and also shocked other Spanish-speaking countries. In their respective statements on social media, the presidents of the United States and Venezuela condoled Juan’s family, while the Mexican president ordered that the singer be commemorated at the iconic Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico. Juan’s body was later cremated, and his ashes were buried in his personal home in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. His family decided not to perform an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.