Antonio Aguilar

Aguilar was born in Villanueva, Zacatecas, the son of Jesús Aguilar Aguilar[2] and Ángela Márquez Barraza Valle, both of Villanueva.[9] His parents had six other children: José Roque, Salvador (deceased), Guadalupe (deceased), Luis Tomás (deceased), Mariano (deceased) and Josefina. His cousin is Jose Rodriguez of Maravillas Villanueva Zac. He spent his early childhood in La Casa Grande de Tayahua, an hacienda first built in 1596 in the town of Tayahua, about 35 km from Villanueva. Aguilar's ancestors acquired this property in the early 19th century.

From left to right: Aguilar, Toshiro Mifune, and Flor Silvestre in Animas Trujano (1964)

Aguilar began his recording career in 1950, eventually making over 150 albums and selling more than 25 million records. He was known for his corridos, with some of his best known songs including "Gabino Barrera", "Caballo prieto azabache", "Albur de amor", and "Un puño de tierra".[3] He was the first Mexican performer to mix rodeos and concerts while touring his show in Latin America and the United States.[10] He has been compared to American actors like Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and Ronald Reagan.

He began his acting career in 1952 during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. In the 1950s, Aguilar was cast in a series of films centered on rural hero "Mauricio Rosales" in El rayo justiciero (1955), La barranca de muerte (1955), La sierra del terror (1956), La huella del chacal (1956), La pantera negra (1957), La guarida del buitre (1958), and Los muertos no hablan (1958). A total of seven low-budget ranchera films produced by Rosas Films S.A. Aguilar gained cinematic notice when cast in Ismael Rodríguez's Tierra de hombres in 1956. Other collaborations with Rodríguez include La Cucaracha (1959) and Ánimas Trujano (1962), where he received starring roles. Amongst his best ranchera films are Yo... el aventurero (1959), Caballo prieto azabache (1968), El ojo de vidrio (1969), and Valente Quintero (1973). Aguilar appeared in American western films like 1969's The Undefeated starring John Wayne.[3] He also made a memorable starring role alongside his wife Flor Silvestre in Triste recuerdo (1991).

Aguilar was also largely responsible for the renewed popularity of the tambora music in the mid-1980s, when he single-handedly resuscitated the genre with the hit "Triste recuerdo".

Aguilar and Flor Silvestre, c. 1976 (left), c. 1980s (right)

Aguilar was married to dancer Otilia Larrañaga and after their divorce he married singer and actress Flor Silvestre (whose real name was Guillermina Jiménez Chabolla). One of their children, José "Pepe" Aguilar, is among Mexico's most popular modern singers. In addition to Pepe Aguilar, he had another child with Flor Silvestre who is the eldest, Antonio Aguilar, Jr. Aguilar's grandchildren include Emiliano, Aneliz, Leonardo, Ángela, María José and Flor Susana: Emiliano, Aneliz, Leonardo, and Ángela are Pepe Aguilar's children; María José and Flor Susana are Antonio Aguilar Jr.'s. children.

On 18 June 2007, doctors announced that Aguilar was no longer responding to treatment and was expected to pass away before the end of the night. On 19 June 2007, the doctor spoke out to the media that Aguilar was still alive, and his body was responding to the medication, but was still in critical condition. While there, the family received visits from many famous people including Vicente Fernández.

Aguilar died on 19 June 2007 at 11:45 p.m. from pneumonia. His coffin was carried through the streets of Zacatecas, the state capital, and was honored at a memorial service attended by hundreds at a church there.

His body was then taken to the hamlet of Tayahua, about 100 kilometers (62 mi) to the south, where residents waited in the streets to bid Aguilar a final farewell before he was buried at his family's "El Soyate" ranch nearby, the government news agency Notimex reported.

Obituaries appeared in many newspapers, including Los Angeles Times (US), The New York Times (US), The Washington Post (US), The Guardian (UK) and The Independent (UK). News of Antonio's death were reported in newspapers of many Spanish-speaking countries, including Guatemala (El Periódico), Honduras (La Tribuna), El Salvador (El Diario de Hoy), Nicaragua (El Nuevo Diario), Costa Rica (Diario Extra), Venezuela (Correo del Caroní), Peru (Crónica Viva), Colombia (El Tiempo), Ecuador (El Diario) and Chile (El Mercurio).

Aguilar's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Equestrian statue of Antonio Aguilar in Los Angeles, CA. USA

In 2000, for his contributions to the recording industry, Aguilar was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7056 Hollywood Boulevard.[11] In the same year, he was the recipient of the Excellence Award at the 2000 Lo Nuestro Awards and the ASCAP Latin Heritage Award.[12][13] In 2004, he was the presented with the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He was similarly honored with his handprints and star on the Paseo de las Luminarias in Mexico City for his work in movies and in the recording industry.

Studio albums

• Éxitos de Antonio Aguilar
• A Grito Abierto
• El Aguijón
• Corridos: Gabino Barrera y 11 Éxitos Más
• Corridos con Antonio Aguilar
• Cantos de Mi Tierra
• Viva el Norte con Antonio Aguilar
• La Voz del Pueblo
• Ya Viene Amaneciendo
• Puras Buenas
• Puras Buenas Vol. II
• La Mula Chula/Arriba Tayahua
• 15 Éxitos 15 con Tambora
• 15 Éxitos 15 Corridos Famosos

EPs

• Toma esta carta (1960s)
• Antonio Aguilar Nº9 (1960)
• Cancionero Toni Aguilar en Discos "Odeón" (1959)
• Antonio Aguilar Nº4, Nº5, Nº6, Nº7, Nº8 (1958)

• Antonio Aguilar filmography
• List of best-selling Latin music artists

• Antonio Aguilar at IMDb
• Antonio Aguilar's movies at TKcine
• Pepe Aguilar's website - Antonio Aguilar's son
• Obituary in the Houston Chronicle
• Val de la O interviews Antonio Aguilar