Alberto Aguilera Valadez (Spanish pronunciation: [alˈβeɾto aɣiˈleɾa βalaˈðes]; 7 January 1950 – 28 August 2016),[1] known professionally as Juan Gabriel (pronounced [ˈxwaŋ ɡaˈβɾjel] ⓘ), was a Mexican singer-songwriter and actor.

[1][2] Colloquially nicknamed Juanga[3] (pronounced [ˈxwaŋɡa]) and El Divo de Juárez, Juan Gabriel was known for his flamboyant style, which broke norms and standards within the Latin music industry.

[5] Some of his most popular, signature songs include titles such as "Amor eterno", "Querida", "Yo no nací para amar", "Hasta que te conocí", "El Noa Noa", "No tengo dinero", "Abrázame muy fuerte", "Te lo pido por favor", "En esta primavera", "Pero qué necesidad", "La Farsante", "Te sigo amando", "Con Todo y Mi Tristeza", "Siempre en mi mente", "De mí enamórate" and "Lo pasado, pasado"; amongst perhaps his most acclaimed songs are "Se me olvidó otra vez" and the heartbreaking ballad "Así Fue", popularized by and sung with Isabel Pantoja of Spain.

The son of Gabriel Aguilera Rodríguez and Victoria Valadez Rojas, of the influential Macias-Valadéz of Jalisco, he was the youngest of ten children.

[11] Because of this, his mother moved the family to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, and he was put in the El Tribunal boarding school where he remained for eight years.

[10][11] Host Raúl Loya gave him the pseudonym "Adán Luna"; on the program, he sang the song "María la Bandida" by José Alfredo Jiménez.

At RCA Víctor, he was hired by Eduardo Magallanes to work as a backing vocalist, primarily for Roberto Jordan, Angélica María and Estela Núñez.

[10] During this time, he wrote several songs, including "Tres Claveles y Un Rosal" and "Me He Quedado Solo"; these compositions attracted the attention of Andrés Puentes Vargas,[10] Lecumberri's prison warden, who later introduced him to Mexican singer and actress Enriqueta Jiménez Chabolla, better known as La Prieta Linda,[11] as well as to his wife, Ofelia Urtuzuastegui Ruiz.

The latter and her husband greatly helped Aguilera, and with their assistance and a clear lack of any wrongdoing, he was released from prison,[11] living at their home for about two years.

Aguilera's newfound "parents" provided him shelter, protection and support, and the perfect environment to compose more music with which to launch his professional career, as Juan Gabriel.

[11][15] In 1971, Juan Gabriel released his first studio album El Alma Joven..., which included the song "No Tengo Dinero", which became his debut single and his first hit.

[16] In 1972, Juan Gabriel participated at the OTI Festival, where he sang the songs "Será Mañana" and "Uno, Dos y Tres (Y Me Dás un Beso)".

[11][18] The album, titled Juan Gabriel con el Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán (1974), includes songs like "Se Me Olvidó Otra Vez" and "Lágrimas y Lluvia".

[2] Juan Gabriel established himself as Mexico's leading commercial singer-songwriter, penning in many diverse styles such as rancheras with mariachi, ballads, pop, rock, disco, with an incredible string of hits for himself and for leading Latin singers including among many others Lucha Villa, Daniela Romo and Ana Gabriel and international stars Luis Miguel, Rocío Dúrcal and José José who in 1978 achieved international recognition thanks to Aguilera's ballad "Lo Pasado, Pasado".

His work as an arranger, producer and songwriter throughout the subsequent decades brought him into contact with the leading Latin artists of the day, including Rocío Dúrcal and Isabel Pantoja.

In addition to recording numerous hits on his own, Juan Gabriel has produced albums for Dúrcal, Lucha Villa, Lola Beltrán and Paul Anka.

[27] At the time of his death, Juan Gabriel was touring the United States and was scheduled to perform at a concert in El Paso, Texas, that same day.

Juan Gabriel stated that Salas was "the best friend of my life" ("la mejor amiga de mi vida" in Spanish).

[31] Nearly a month after his death, the news program Primer Impacto discovered that Juan Gabriel had a fifth child, a son named Luis Alberto Aguilera, living in Las Vegas.

[46][47] Juan Gabriel continued to do 10 to 12 performances per year as benefit concerts for his favorite children's homes, usually posing for pictures with his fans and forwarding the proceeds from the photo ops to support Mexican orphans.

[54] The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) honored Juan Gabriel the Latin Songwriter of the Year Award in 1995, 1996, and 1998.

[5] United States President Barack Obama also commented on Juan Gabriel's death and complimented his music for "transcending borders and generations" and that "his spirit will live on in his enduring songs, and in the hearts of the fans who love him".

[61] Leila Cobo of Billboard proclaimed Juan Gabriel as a "prodigal performer" and noted that his songs were "romantic, colloquial, emotional compositions that sometimes rambled but managed to strike a universal chord with lyrics that could apply to many people and many situations.

[62] Tribute albums to Gabriel have been recorded by several artists including Cristian Castro, Pedro Fernández,[63] Lorenzo Antonio,[64] Álvaro Torres,[65] Los Tri-O,[66] Nydia Rojas,[67] and La India.