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Fito Olivares, legendary Mexican saxophonist known for his popular cumbia music, dies at 75, reports say

Saxophone image (Image by Jean-Dominique POUPEL from Pixabay)

HOUSTON – Legendary Mexican Saxophonist Fito Olivares, whose music soared into popularity in parties and events in the Hispanic/Latino community, has died, according to multiple reports. He was 75 years old.

His family confirmed his death to The Dallas Morning News and to Raul Brindis, a Houston-based DJ during his show on Friday.

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Olivares is well-known in the Hispanic/Latino community whose hits such as “Juana La Cubana,” “Aguita De Melon,” and “El Colesterol” were among several of his songs played frequently at parties and gatherings.

Many Houstonians in the community, including Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, paid tribute to the late singer in a tweet.

“Rest in peace to a legend,” he wrote. “We all grew up with Fito Olivares. Thank you for the music.”

Olivares was born in Camargo, Tamaulipas, Mexico in 1947, where he began to play professionally at age 16, KPRC’s sister station KSAT reported. Later, in 1980, he formed “Fito Olivares y Su Grupo La Pura Sabrosura” in Houston.


About the Author

A graduate of the University of Houston-Downtown, Ana moved to H-Town from sunny southern California in 2015. In 2020, she joined the KPRC 2 digital team as an intern. Ana is a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur, a catmom of 3, and an aquarium enthusiast. In her spare time, she's an avid video gamer and loves to travel.

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