Vicente Fernández has passed away at the age of 81: NPR

Vicente Fernández performs on stage during the 20th Annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2019.

Kevin Winter / Getty Images for LARAS

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Kevin Winter / Getty Images for LARAS

Vicente Fernández performs on stage during the 20th Annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2019.

Kevin Winter / Getty Images for LARAS

Mexican superstar Vicente Fernandez has died at the age of 81, his official social media accounts confirmed. Recently, the singer fell into a critical condition after being hospitalized with a fall in Guadalajara in August. At the hospital, he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune condition in which the system the immune system attacks the body’s nerves, His family reported to the media.

Among the singer’s many nicknames, he is known as “the idol of Mexico” and “the king of Ranchera”, making him one of the country’s most important cultural icons.

In “Volver, Volver,” the 1972 song that elevated his career, Fernandez sang about his insatiable longing to be back in his ex’s arms. That song became an anthem. And Fernandez became Mexico’s biggest star – beloved for his nostalgic voice and devotion to songs of rural traditions – of courtship and honor, cockfights and riding, passion and pain.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador shared his condolences Sunday morning on Twitter, calling Fernandez an “icon of our times.”