Mexican singer Ariel Camacho killed in car
crash
Ariel Camacho, a popular 'grupera' singer in
Mexico, was killed in a traffic accident late Wednesday while leaving a concert
Young, up-and-coming Mexican singer Ariel Camacho
has died in a traffic accident after leaving a concert, his record company
confirmed Thursday.
Camacho, already popular in his home state of
Sinaloa and parts of the U.S. as a singer of the "grupera" genre, was
touring when he was killed on Wednesday, Los Angeles-based DEL Records said in
a statement.
The studio said he was 22, though local media
reported his age as 23.
He was a guest performer at the concert of another
band, Clave Azul, singing his latest hit, El Karma, in the town of Mocorito.
There were varying reports of other deaths in the
accident in Sinaloa state. Camacho was reportedly traveling with three others,
and photographs show the car was destroyed.
The Associated Press could not immediately confirm
other details of the accident.
"My
heart is broken by the loss of Ariel Camacho," Angel Del Villar, CEO
and founder of DEL Records, said in the statement. "Ariel was like a son to me. I knew he was going to transform the
genre in Mexico and the United States. Millions of people would have become
fans and would have gotten to know the man I did. We send our condolences to
the families of all those involved in the accident."
Dozens of Mexican musicians including Bob Vega,
Luis Coronel, Karla Sierra, Gerardo Ortiz, and Fidel Rueda expressed their
condolences on social networks and published photos with Camacho. Several came
to the wake in the Sinaloa town of Guamuchil with their guitars to sing in his
memory.
Camacho and his group, Los Plebes del Rancho, were
part of a new generation of singers known as the "altered movement," singing explicit ballads about the
realities of drug trafficking and uncontrolled violence. Other artists in the
movement include Ortiz and the Kommander, the stage name of Alfredo Rios, who
wrote on his Twitter account: "My
sincere condolences to the family and friends of Ariel Camacho.
May God
console you for this terrible loss. Rest in peace."
Camacho was born in Guasabe, Sinaloa, and his
songs were about his small-town roots and the narco-culture of Sinaloa, home to
Mexico's most powerful drug cartel of the same name. He performed acoustically
with his group, a second guitar and tuba, and had mastered the smaller,
higher-pitched requinto guitar, according to DEL records.
The record company called his style "real and raw" and said it
depicted "the story of his fans — hard-working people from every walk of
life."
Camacho was on tour promoting his album, El Karma,
and was also in the recording studio with a new project. He was to perform
several shows this weekend in Southern California, where he was becoming very
popular.
