the saxophonist Fito Olivares He passed away at the age of 75, leaving a legacy of more than 50 years dedicated to the music industry. Among his main hits are songs like ‘Juana la cubana’, ‘El Colesterol’ and ‘La Gallinita’.
The news was confirmed by his wife to Raúl Brindis’s YouTube channel after he stated that he had spent the last three days sleeping all day and not eating after suffering from cancer.
“He was diagnosed about eight months ago, but we didn’t know how serious it was going to be. The doctors gave him a while, they told him for so many months and thank God he lasted a little longer than the doctors told us. His cancer was already very advanced. It is a cancer called multiple myeloma, it affects the white cells, the bone marrow, the bones and he was very weak, ”he said.
Rodolfo Olivares, his real name, was known as ‘the king of the cumbia‘ for their contributions to popularizing the genre. Throughout his career, he joined musical groups, although he also forged a career as a soloist.
Who was the musician Fito Olivares?
Born in April 1947 in Camargo, Tamaulipas, his musical taste awoke from an early age due to the influence of his father, who taught him and rehearsed together since he was 12 years old. Although he initially started with the accordion, he became one of the most popular saxophonists.
He trained at a business academy in 1961, for which he worked in accounting as part of some business. He began to play professionally in 1963 and later joined the group Star Duet.
Together with his brothers Javier and Jaime he formed Tam and Tex in 1979; a year later it emerged Fito Olivares and his group La Pura Sabrosura. While ‘Juana la Cubana’ has more than 50 recorded versions, ‘El Colesterol’ won an ASCAP award (in 1996) for best song in the regional Mexican category. From the business side of him he created his recording studio Japonica Studio.
