ICONIC Mexican singer Paquita la del Barrio has died at age 77.
The legendary artist, born Francisca Viveros Barradas, died on Monday in her home of Veracruz, in eastern Mexico, her representatives announced.
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“Being a unique and unrepeatable artist, who will leave an indelible mark in the hearts of all of us who knew her and enjoyed her music,” the singer’s team wrote in a statement.
A cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
Paquita faced various health problems in the years leading up to her death.
Most recently, Paquita was forced to postpone her scheduled performance at the National Auditorium in Mexico City on January 26 due to a health issue with her legs.
The event, where Paquita was slated to appear alongside the group Sonora Santanera, was rescheduled for March 16.
She was scheduled to perform at the Ensenada Grand Carnival festivities in Ensenada, Mexico, on March 2.
Born in Alto Lucero, Veracruz, Paquita experienced poverty during her childhood and only finished primary school.
While working for the municipal government in Alto Lucero, Paquita met her first husband, who was 30 years her senior.
Paquita had two children with her first husband, but suffered physical abuse until she decided to leave him and move to Mexico City to pursue her singing career.
She began singing at a restaurant in Mexico City in 1970, where locals gathered weekly to watch her perform, garnering the nickname Paquita la del Barrio (Paquita from the neighborhood).
Paquita earned a record contract with CBS Records in 1986 after performing on a Televisa show that exposed her music to a wider audience.
Singing Mexican rancheras and boleros, Paquita was renowned for her fierce criticism of Mexico’s sexist and machismo culture, branding men as “unfaithful, clowns and fools.”
Paquita’s music became popular among female audiences, who called the singer the “queen and defender of women.”
Her songs Rata de Dos Patas (two-legged rat) and Tres Veces te Engage (Three times I cheated on you) became anthems for women in Latin America.
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