Vicente Fernández Dies at 81: Some of the Mariachi Legend's Biggest Career Moments

Vicente Fernández, the Grammy-winning Mariachi legend dubbed "El Ídolo de México" (The Idol of Mexico), may have died on Sunday, but his legacy will live on.

Fernández — who died at age 81 four months after he fell and was placed on a ventilator in the ICU — had a massive following worldwide, and was often referred to as the "Mexican Sinatra."

From singing to acting to winning countless awards, here are 10 of the singer's career highlights that will leave a lasting impact on his fans, and made him the icon he is today:

He can act! Fernández starred in Tacos al Carbón — 1971

Much of Fernández's music became the starring role in more than 30 movies he filmed over two decades in the '70s and '80s.

Fernández debuted on the big screen in 1971's Tacos al Carbón. In the film, he played the role of Constancio Rojas Rodríguez, aka el Champi.

The movieis about a man who sells tacos on the street, until his luck changes when he wins the latest model car in a raffle.

He starred in 30 films total over the span of 20 years. Other works included La Ley del Monte, El Macho, Por Tu Maldito Amor and Mi Querido Viejo.

He earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame — 1998

On Nov. 11, 1998, the "Mujeres Divinas" singers' star was unveiled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. That same year, he was inducted into Billboard's Latin Music Hall of Fame.

The day of the unveiling happened to fall on his son Vicente Fernández's birthday, and during his speech, he honored him.

"Today, my eldest son Vicente turns 34, and I wanted to give a toast to my sons, especially to Vicente," he said at the time.

He continued, "This star is not of an artist, this star is for Mexico, for you all."

He performed at the Republican National Convention — 2000

In August 2000 at the RNC (Republican National Convention) and the night George W. Bush was nominated for president, Fernández was invited to perform and did not disappoint.

The icon opted to sing his single "Cielito Lindo" in front of the roaring crowd.

At the end of his performance he thanked the crowd, and sang in "Frank Sinatra's words," "I want to live until the end, my way" in Spanish.

He's Latin Grammys' Person of the Year — 2002

On his 35th anniversary in the music industry, the Latin Recording Academy recognized Fernández as Person of the Year.

By that point, he had sold more than 50 million records and was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame.

"This is not mine, it's for Mexico, Central, South America and those who speak Spanish. Thank you," he said at the time.

He won his first Grammy Award — 2010

Fernández was awarded his first Grammy Award for best regional Mexican album for his record Necesito de Tí — which he also earned a Latin Grammy for.

His first-ever Grammy award, however, dates back to the third Latin Grammy Awards in 2002 where he won for best ranchero album for Más Con El Número Uno.

During his acceptance speech, the icon said "I want to give thanks to all the academy, to my home, my label of 35 years Sony Music. And my award, whichever it is, but a Grammy — my fans have been wanting me to get one or a while. I just want to clarify, that no award, no matter which one it is, wouldn't mean anything if it wasn't supported by the love, the praise and the affection from all of you."

In total, he earned three Grammy Awards and nine Latin Grammy Awards.

Two Legends Meet — 2012

In 2012, Tony Bennett and Fernández came together to record "Return to Me," in which Fernández sang in Spanish. The song was featured on Bennett's album Viva Duets.

They later performed the song together at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.

Following the news of his passing, Bennett shared a sweet tribute to an old friend.

"Saddened to hear of the passing of legendary singer Vicente Fernández. Recording "Regresa a Mí" at his beautiful home in Mexico and meeting his family was unforgettable and he will be missed," Bennett, 95, wrote on Twitter.

Chicago gave him the keys to the city — 2012

At the time, the legend was honored with a special street dedication event in Little Village. As a part of the honor, the city also unveiled new street signs, which designated the part of 26th Street between 2800 West and 3199 West as "Vicente Fernandez Avenue."

He was then given a key to the city and a Proclamation which marked the week of October 20-27 as "Vicente Fernández Week" in Chicago.

At the ceremony, in which Fernández performed, there were problems with the audio equipment due to the rain, and the icon opted to sing acapella instead.

He Released Los 2 Vicentes — 2012

Following a press conference where he announced his intention to retire from the stage, he released the album Los 2 Vicentes, together with his son Vicente, 58.

Fernández had four children in total, including Alejandro, 50, and Gerardo, 44, as well. Alejandro is also successful a singer himself and nicknamed "El Potrillo." The father-son duo recorded a duet in 2020 titled "Mentí," which was featured on his album Hecho En México.

"When I was showing my dad the new album I told him, 'Do you realize that we've only recorded one song together once and it was at the very beginning of my career and we never did it again?'" Alejandro previously told Billboard. "So I suggested that it would be cool if he could support me by recording another duo for this album, especially since it was my return to Mexican music."

He wrote a corrido for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign — 2016

In September 2016, around the time of presidential elections, Fernández expressed his support for then-candidate Hillary Clinton with a song titled, "El Corrido de Hillary Clinton."

The video of the track featured the singer in a charro suit and urged people to vote in Spanish during a montage of campaign photos and videos of Clinton. The song was set to the tune of his popular song "Los Mándalos" — which details the life of undocumented Mexican immigrants who have been deported but refuse to give up.

In April of that same year, at the end of his farewell concert he said he would "spit on" Donald Trump, the Republican Party primary candidate for his anti-immigration speech.

Following her final debate against Trump, Clinton, 74, invited Fernández to the celebration at the Craig Ranch Regional Park Amphitheater, Las Vegas.

A legend says goodbye — 2016

Fernandez hosted a special concert on April 16 at the Estadio Azteca. The performance was titled "Un Azteca en el Azteca."

He performed in front of more than 80,000 people. Entrance to the concert was free. The concert lasted more than four hours and the singer performed more than 40 songs — and his only special guest was his son Alejandro.

The concert was later included on an album titled Un Azteca en el Azteca and he won the Grammy Award for best regional Mexican music album in 2017.

The concert concluded his career of more than 50 years and served as a thank you to his fans for their support.