Interesting and Fun Facts about Juan Gabriel, a Mexican Singer, Songwriter, and Actor

Google video Doodle honors Juan Gabriel, a Mexican singer, songwriter, and actor who wrote over 1,500 songs during his artistic career and is well-known for his genre-defying music career. Beto Irigoyen, a guest artist from Guadalajara, created the Doodle, which shows Juan Gabriel performing on stage with a mariachi band. Juan Gabriel’s popular song El Palo ranked #1 on the Billboard charts on July 15, 1995. Here are some interesting and fun facts about Juan Gabriel.

Who was Juan Gabriel?

Here is a look at the life and work of Juan Gabriel.

Quick Look

• Birth name: Alberto Aguilera Valadez
• Also known as: Adan Luna, Juan Gabriel, Juanga, El divo de Juárez
• Birth date: 7 January 1950
• Birth place: Parácuaro, Michoacán, Mexico
• Died on: 28 August 2016 (aged 66)
• Death place: Santa Monica, California, United States
• Father name: Gabriel Aguilera Rodríguez
• Mother name: Victoria Valadez Rojas
• Other names: Juanga, El Divo de Juárez
• Famous as: Musician, songwriter, composer, actor

35 Interesting Facts about Juan Gabriel

1. On January 7, 1950, Juan Gabriel was born in Parácuaro, Michoacán, under the name Alberto Aguilera Valadez. The farmers Gabriel Aguilera Rodríguez and Victoria Valadez Rojas had ten children total, with him being the youngest.
2. His mother relocated to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. She enrolled him in the El Tribunal boarding school after his father was interned in a psychiatric hospital when he was still a little child. He spent eight years there, growing close to the teacher Juan Contreras. When he was 13, he broke out of the boarding school to live with him for a year.
3. The following year, he moved back in with his mother and was escorted by sisters Leonor and Beatriz Berúmen into the nearby Methodist Church. He joined the choir and started assisting with church cleaning.
4. Using the stage name Adán Luna, Alberto Aguilera Valadez performed on the Notivisa television program “Noches Rancheras” in 1965. He started singing live at the Noa-Noa bar the next year.
5. He worked there for the next three years, writing the song “El Noa Noa,” but he also occasionally performed at other neighborhood clubs. Once, he went to Mexico City in search of recording opportunities, but he was turned down.
6. He returned to Juárez to resume his bar career, but the next year he moved back and got hired by RCA Victor as a backing vocalist. But in 1970, he resigned because he wasn’t getting paid enough, and once again returned to Juárez.
7. Encouraged by his friends and family, he tried again the next year, but he was so poor that he was forced to sleep in bus and train stations. Even longer, he spent a year and a half in prison after being falsely charged with robbery.
8. He kept writing songs, and prison warden Andrés Puentes Vargas noticed. Through him, he was introduced to Mexican actress and singer La Prieta Linda. In the end, the lack of proof led to his release.
9. With La Prieta Linda’s help, Alberto Aguilera Valadez got a recording contract with RCA Victor in 1971. In remembrance of his late father, Gabriel Aguilera, and his schoolteacher, Juan Contreras, he adopted the stage name Juan Gabriel.
10. His debut single and first hit, “No Tengo Dinero,” were included in his first studio album, “El Alma Joven…” which was published in the same year. An association in Mexico called Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON) certified the album as gold due to its success.
11. At the OTI Festival in 1972, he sang the songs “Será Mañana” and “Uno, Dos y Tres (Y Me Dás un Beso).” Despite not being appropriate to represent Mexico, the songs were well-received by critics and were featured in his second album, “El Alma Joven II,” which was released in 1972.
12. El Alma Joven III, his third album, was released in 1973. The following year, he worked with Vargas de Tecalitlán to record his first mariachi album. The album, “Juan Gabriel con el Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán,” had tracks like “Lágrimas y Lluvia” and “Se Me Olvidó Otra Vez.”
13. In the 1975 Mexican film “Nobleza Ranchera,” which also starred Sara García and Verónica Castro, he made his acting debut. He took a hiatus from acting after taking on a few more roles in the ensuing years.
14. In 2016, he executive produced and performed in the Mexican biographical series “Hasta que te conocí,” which was based on his life.
15. He became the most successful commercial singer-songwriter in Mexico in the interim by releasing one or more studio albums a year that covered a wide range of musical genres.
16. Along with penning popular songs for other prominent Latin singers, he also gained international acclaim for writing the ballad “Lo Pasado, Pasado” for José José’s 1978 album of the same name.
17. With sales of over eight million copies, his 1984 album “Recuerdos, Vol. II” is said to be the best-selling album in Mexican history. His album landed him a Grammy award for “Best Latin Pop Album,” and the first single from it, “Querida” (Darling), topped the Mexican charts for the entire year.
18. He performed in the Palacio de Bellas Artes for the first time as a non-classical performance in 1990. The National Symphony Orchestra received the revenue from his three sold-out concerts.
19. The singer received the 2009 Person of the Year award from the Latin Recording Academy. In May 2002, he was also bestowed with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
20. The second single from the album of the same name, “Abrázame Muy Fuerte,” by him, went on to become the most successful Latin hit of 2001. His song was featured as the main theme for the Mexican telenovela “Abrázame Muy Fuerte” and went on to win him three “Billboard Latin Music Awards.”
21. Four of his albums peaked at No. 1 on the ‘Top Latin Albums’ charts between 2015 and 2016. He was slated to perform at a concert in El Paso, Texas, while on his “MeXXIco Es Todo Tour,” which was touring the US at the time of his death in 2016.
22. Recuerdos, Vol. II is regarded as Juan Gabriel’s best album and went on to become the best-selling album of all time in Mexico as well. He wrote almost 1,800 songs and published 30 studio albums during the course of his remarkable career, which spanned nearly five decades. His songs have sold over 200 million copies worldwide.
23. In 2002, Juan Gabriel took home three “Billboard Latin Music Awards,” and in 2016, he was posthumously awarded three “Latin Grammy Awards.”
24. In May 2002, he was awarded with a star on the “Hollywood Walk of Fame.”
25. Juan Gabriel had a longtime relationship with Laura Salas, whom he called “the best friend I ever had,” even though he was never married. Of his six children, she was the mother of Iván, Joan, Hans, and Jean.
26. On August 28, 2016, he died from a heart attack in Santa Monica, California. His body was cremated, and his ashes were interred in his home in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua.
27. Juan Gabriel was well-known for his flamboyant stage outfits; he frequently wore elaborate, colorful costumes when giving performances.
28. Juan Gabriel maintained his humble and down-to-earth in the face of fame and prosperity, frequently thanking his fans for their support throughout his career.
29. Juan Gabriel was a talented songwriter who wrote many successes for both himself and other Latin musicians in the Latin music industry.
30. Juan Gabriel was not just a gifted musician but also a philanthropist who dedicated his life to helping several organizations and causes that supported the arts.
31. Juan Gabriel gained a dedicated following around the world thanks to his distinctive vocal style, which distinguished him from other musicians in the Latin music genre.
32. His admirers loved his dramatic performance style, and his renown expanded with each of his 30 albums. The Palacio de Bellas Artes in 1990, the 2009 Latin Grammy Awards, and the 2012 Festival Acapulco are a few iconic shows.
33. The six-time Grammy nominee has had a significant musical influence, but his legacy of community service is perhaps more significant. Gabriel established a home for abandoned kids named Semjase and donated the money raised from benefit concerts and photo ops to orphanages.
34. A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame honors El Divo de Juárez, making him eternal. Juan Gabriel has contributed to the soundtrack of many people’s lives—whether it be love, sorrow, hope, or despair, and all the feelings in between. Even now, millions of people still love his songs.
35. On July 15th, 2024, Google featured a video Doodle on its homepage to celebrate Juan Gabriel.