RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Juan Gabriel was called home by the grace and wisdom of God on August 29, 2016 at the age of 66; and
WHEREAS, it is with great sadness that the world learned of the death of this beloved Mexican singer and composer; and
WHEREAS, the Chicago City Council has been informed of his passing by Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa; and
WHEREAS, Juan Gabriel was born Alberto Aguilera Valadez on January 7, 1950 and was the youngest of 10 children born to Gabriel Aguilera Rodriguez and Victoria Valadez Ojas, two peasants from Paracuaro, Michoacan, Mexico; and
WHEREAS, Juan Gabriel was raised in an orphanage in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua and overcame these great odds to go on to become one of the greatest singers of all time; and
WHEREAS, Juan Gabriel was a father of four children and through his charity work put on countless performances that benefited orphaned and underserved children in Mexico; and
WHEREAS, Juan Gabriel sold over 100 million albums, was a six-time Grammy nominee and was inducted into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame in 1996, and the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2003; and
WHEREAS, Juan Gabriel was not only known for his dramatic and electrifying performances but his lyrical mastery and songwriting abilities in crafting powerful ballads that crossed musical genres and redefined the concept of romantic Latin pop music; and
WHEREAS, Juan Gabriel is recognized as being one of the greatest singers of all time, and is an icon in the Latino community as well as the LGBTQ community, having possessed the ability to transcend borders, break taboos, and create a space for queerness to exist unapologetically; and
WHEREAS, Juan Gabriel, beloved by hundreds of thousands in Chicago, sold out the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois each year for the last 15 years and was scheduled to perform there on September 25,2016; now therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the members of the Chicago City Council, assembled this fourteenth day of September, 2016, do hereby express our sorrow on the death of Juan Gabriel and extend to his fans, family, and friends our deepest sympathy; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Juan Gabriel and the Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago.
Cdrlos RaBMre^-Rosa Alderman, 35th Ward