José Manuel Figueroa Sr.[2][3] (April 8, 1951 – July 13, 2015), known professionally as Joan Sebastian (pronounced [ɟʝoˈan seβasˈtjan]), was a Mexican singer and songwriter.

[4][5] Born in Juliantla, Guerrero, he composed more than 1,000 songs, including compositions for artists such as Bronco, Vicente Fernández, Lucero, Pepe Aguilar, and Rocío Dúrcal.

In 1996, he made his acting debut in the Mexican soap opera Tú y Yo (You and I), sharing credits with Maribel Guardia, his former wife and mother to his son, Julian.

At the time of his death, Sebastian had two number-one albums on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart and seven top ten songs on the Hot Latin Songs chart in the United States, including "Eso Y Más", "Me Gustas", "Secreto de Amor", and "Más Allá del Sol".

In 2000, he released Secreto de Amor which was certified 4× platinum in the Latin field in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

His third oldest son, Trigo, was shot in the back of the head after one of his father's concerts in Mission, Texas, on August 27, 2006.

[18][19] On June 12, 2010, his second oldest son, Juan Sebastián was shot dead in Cuernavaca, Morelos, after arriving at a night club with some friends and being refused entrance.

[citation needed] Weeks prior to his death, he confirmed to the media that he had been hospitalized and undergoing cancer treatment under medical supervision.

On July 13, 2015, Joan Sebastian died at 7:15pm (UTC-06:00) at his ranch Cruz de la Sierra, Teacalco Guerrero, Mexico, due to bone cancer.

[24] Relatives of the late singer complained in July 2020 that Sebastian's mausoleum had been broken into and the family feared that his remains might be stolen.