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Latin singer Durcal dies at 61:Posted By: Kirk Griffin By Leila CoboFri Mar 31, 9:03 PM ET MIAMI (Billboard) - The passing of Rocio Durcal, the grand dame of Latin pop and Mexican song, is among the first deaths in a generation of singers who defined a golden, international era in Latin music. Durcal died March 25 in her home city of Madrid. She was 61.Durcal's signature, throaty rasp straddled multiple genres and social classes. The singer's career spanned more than 40 years and 30 albums, with sales topping the 30 million mark, according to her label, Sony BMG. Although Durcal's popularity peaked in the 1970s and 1980s, she remained a consistent seller -- even after she dropped out of the spotlight in the past year due to her struggle with cancer. Indeed, her last release, the greatest-hits album "Amor Eterno, Los Exitos," peaked at No. 8 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart in February. Durcal was born in Spain and had success as a musical actress and ballad singer before trying her luck in Mexico in 1977. There, she radically switched styles, recording an album of rancheras by a then new composer named Juan Gabriel. His songs proved the perfect complement for her voice, and Durcal's renditions of tracks like "Tarde" and "Jamas me Cansare de Ti" became radio hits throughout Latin America, the United States and Spain. Durcal would subsequently record music by top composers, including Rafael Perez Botija (who wrote her signature "La Gata Bajo la Lluvia"), Marco Antonio Solis, Bebu Silvetti and Roberto Livi, alternating between international pop and Mexican rancheras and garnering equal levels of success in both. "She had a timeless, classic sound," says Kevin Lawrie, Sony BMG's president for the Latin region. "Being a Spaniard who embraced mariachi music and recorded with many of the biggest all-time Mexican stars puts her in a unique place in the hearts of Latin-Americans." Durcal's string of early hits came at a time when a slew of artists, including Raphael, Jose Jose, Rocio Jurado and Juan Gabriel himself found pan-regional success. As with many of these singers, Durcal's acclaim and popularity carried on. During her career she performed alongside stars such asJulio Iglesias, Joan Manuel Serrat, Luis Miguel, Ricky Martin and Alejandro Sanz. "Today is the beginning of the story, the legend of Rocio Durcal," Juan Gabriel said in a statement. "Thank you for having sung and recorded so many songs that I wrote for you with so much love." Durcal is survived by her husband, Antonio Morales; three children, Carmen, Antonio and Shaila de los Angeles; and one grandchild. Reuters/Billboard Courtesy Of: Yahoo! News The information reported above is property of Yahoo! inc. and reprinted or modified with legitimate permission. We thank Yahoo! inc. for the kind cooperation with us and other shareholders. |
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