Francisca Viveros Barradas, the beloved Mexican singer known by her stage name Paquita la del Barrio, has died. She was 77.
The Veracruz-born singer was known for speaking out against macho culture in songs like “Rata de dos patas” (”Two-legged Rat”).
Her death was announced in a statement posted on her official social media accounts.
“With deep pain and sadness, we sensitively confirm the death of our ‘Paquita la del Barrio’ in her home in Veracruz. She was a unique and irreplaceable artist who left an indelible mark on the hearts of everyone who knew her and enjoyed her music,” read the statement, which has been translated from Spanish.
“At this time of great pain, we respectfully ask all media outlets and the public to give us space and understanding so that her family can grieve in privacy and peace. We appreciate your support and respect during this difficult time. May she rest in peace. Her music and legacy will live on in our hearts forever.”
No cause of death has yet been announced.
Barradas was born in Alto Lucero, Veracruz on April 2, 1947. She began singing from an early age, and while still a teenager she met and married her first husband, Miguel Gerardo Martínez. He was 18 years her senior, and it later emerged he was already married and had another family.
In the 1970s she formed the duo Las Golondrinas with her sister Viola, and in 1979, at the age of 32, she moved to Mexico City to further pursue her musical dreams. There she performed at La Fogata Norteña, where she met her second husband Alfonso Martínez. They remained together until his death in 2001.
Barradas became very popular as a singer of bolero songs. Her stage name, which she adopted in 1984 for her album El Barrio de los Faroles, means “Paquita from the neighborhood”. She was also known as “the Queen of the People” and “the warrior of Bolero”. Her songs, such as “Tres Veces te Engañé” (”Three Times I Cheated on You”), often railed against a culture of aggressive machismo.
In 2021, she ran for political office in the state of Veracruz as a candidate for the Citizen Movement Party (Movimiento Ciudadano). That same year she was awarded the Billboard Artistic Career Award at the Billboard Latin Music Awards ceremony.
In 2022, she was hospitalized with a pulmonary thrombosis, which affected her ability to walk and led to her limiting her public performances. She gave her last concert at the Palenque de Texcoco on April 1, 2023.
