Legendary singer Vicente Fernández was hospitalized last Friday after taking a fall at his ranch in Guadalajara, Mexico. The 81-year-old Grammy Award winner and cultural icon is currently in the intensive care unit after undergoing neck surgery. Fernández injured his cervical spine in the accident. Doctors have him listed as in critical but stable condition. According to a post on his official Facebook account, Fernández is on a ventilator in the ICU.
Born in Guadalajara in 1940, “Chente,” as everyone knew him, began his professional career in 1966 with the release of his first song, “Perdóname,” with CBS Mexico, which is now the Latin label owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Since then, he’s become one of the best-selling artists in music history. Fernández was inducted into Billboard’s Latin Music Hall of Fame in 1998 and the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2002. He was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
An outpouring of support came in for “El Charro de Huentitán” when news of his injury was revealed earlier this week. This included lots of prayers from fans across the world.
Radio host and personality Letty Peniche tweeted that she called her 90-year-old grandmother to tell her about Fernández.
Others hoped fellow admirers would join in and pray for a speedy recovery for Fernández, who retired in 2016 from performing live.
Still, some fans are holding their breath until Chente is released from the hospital.