Adan Sanchez, a rising singer and the son of slain narcocorrido music legend Marcelino “Chalino” Sanchez, has died in a car crash in Sinaloa, Mexico. He was 19.
Sanchez, of Paramount, Calif., was on a promotional trip through northwest Mexico on Saturday when the car he was in blew a tire and overturned, the Mexican highway patrol said.
The singer sustained severe head injuries and died instantly, said Julieta Olivas, owner of Funeraria San Fernando, a mortuary about 45 miles southeast of Mazatlan.
Three others were injured in the crash–the singer’s manager, a friend and the driver.
Mr. Sanchez’s father, a singer/songwriter who had gained notoriety for his musical tales, known as narcocorridos, about criminal escapades, was slain execution-style 12 years ago in the same state.
The coincidence of his son dying in an area known for its drug cartels and violence fueled speculation that the car crash had not been an accident. But police said there was no indication of foul play.
Mr. Sanchez was 8 in 1992 when his father was kidnapped and killed after a performance in Sinaloa. But unlike his gun-slinging father, the younger Sanchez nurtured an image as a romantic teenage idol.
“There was just this wholesome quality about him, very down-to-earth,” said Marco Antonio Gonzales, a Univision Music Group spokesman who worked closely with the younger Sanchez. “He was one of the very few good role models for Latino kids. I can say, from what I know, that he led quite an impeccable life. He was just a good kid.”
Within hours, news of the accident sparked tearful calls to radio stations, signals of the growing popularity of the artist who had made an impressive debut as a mainstream headliner 10 days ago at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre.
“The reaction of people continues to be stunning,” Pepe Garza, a radio station’s program director, said Monday. “His fans were mostly teenagers, kids with a lot of dreams, and this has just left them heartbroken.”
