José José, a legendary Mexican singer who was often called “El Príncipe de la Canción or “The Prince of Song,” died Saturday in Miami after a battle with pancreatic cancer, his assistant Laura Núñez confirmed to several media outlets. He was 71.
The singer, whose real name was José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz, first rose to fame in the 1970s after singing “El Triste” at the OTI music festival, kicking off a prolific career that spanned more than four decades and sold millions of albums. Soon after his breakthrough festival performance, José José continued to climb the Latin charts with a series of hits including “De Pueblo en Pueblo,” “Hasta Que Vuelvas,” “Sentimientos,” “Paloma” and “Gavilan o Paloma.”
Over the course of his career, José José picked up six Grammy nominations, nabbing his first in 1984 for his “Secretos” album. He picked up two more nominations in 1985, for his song “Por Ella” and his album “Reflexiones,” followed by another nomination every year until 1988. Despite his numerous nominations, the famed singer never took home a Grammy award himself.
José José also saw commercial success with 20 Hot Latin Song hits, four of which reached No. 1. Additionally, he saw 15 of his albums make their mark on the Top Latin Albums chart, ultimately selling more than 1.8 million albums in the United States.
