The Mavericks, for those who aren’t familiar, are a Latin-country band. They formed in 1989 and have been making music since, despite taking a hiatus. Unfortunately, it was announced on December 9th that The Mavericks‘ lead singer and songwriter, Raul Malo, passed away the previous evening at the age of 60. This announcement was made on The Mavericks‘ official Instagram page.

 

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According to The Hollywood Reporter, Malo had been suffering from colon cancer, which he had been diagnosed with last year. At that point, he had still been able to perform with the band. That is, until September, when Malo updated fans on the status of his health, saying he developed leptomeningeal disease. This means that his cancer spread, to the point where it surrounded his brain and spinal cord. Given the severity of his condition, the band was forced to cancel their upcoming concerts.

During the end of his illness, Malo was surrounded by family in loved ones, which he expressed in his announcement, saying “I have an amazing wife and boys, wonderful family, team, road crew, band, friends and fans. I don’t even have enough words to describe the love and support that I’m getting right now.” Hopefully, his family is able to find some peace during this rough time. Malo is leaving behind a huge legacy, having done excellent work in helping to provide music education to children across the globe and for contributing to both American and Latin music.