Mourning in urban music: El Taiger's death confirmed

October 10, 2024

After several days in which many maintained hope and others had already resigned themselves to the worst, on October 10th the death of El Taiger was confirmed, whose real name was José Manuel Carbajal Zaldívar.

The news, although it seemed expected, surprises many since just yesterday in the late afternoon, the artist's manager said at a press conference that El Taiger was "medically alive".

His words, however, were not reliable to many since he himself added afterwards that the hospital could not give an official statement to anyone other than a close family member, so doubts remained about the singer's actual condition.

It was on October 10th that fellow reggaeton artist Jorge Junior, director of Los 4 and El Taiger's cousin, confirmed his relative's death.

"Today 10/10 at 12:40 pm, doctors have just declared El Taiger deceased", he expressed visibly affected, thus putting an end to the speculation and lack of official information from Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.

"I hope we all remember him as he was and that we respect him in his absence", he said to his followers in an Instagram video. Likewise, he took the opportunity to thank everyone who had prayed for El Taiger's recovery and had given encouragement and strength to the family.

Jorge Junior was very direct regarding the misinformation that many pages have caused in recent days: "From today on there is no other news but this. I don't want any other little page or any other person to say what isn't true. I'm saying things as they are, directly from the hospital".

"What we have left is to remember his music and remember all the mischief he caused", he said in the video, which in less than an hour obtained thousands of views and interactions since the topic has been among the most viewed and searched on social media in recent days.

Jorge Junior also asked those close to him and those nearby to participate in El Taiger's funeral to say their last goodbye. "We've come this far", he concluded.

From the singer's official Instagram page, a statement was also shared confirming El Taiger's death. In the text they thank the medical team at Jackson Memorial who worked tirelessly to provide José with the highest level of care, and to everyone who united in prayer, hope and support, seeking a miracle.

"Unfortunately, this afternoon, El Taiger was declared deceased and has now been reunited with his beloved mother in heaven", the statement expresses. Likewise, the text explains that details of a commemorative service will be announced in the coming days.

"Although this news is both shocking and heartbreaking, we encourage El Taiger's fans to honor his memory by celebrating the joy he brought to so many, turn up his music, dance and celebrate life", since according to the page, El Taiger was the feeling of the people, and that feeling must be kept alive through his music and his legacy.

"We are confident that we will get to the bottom of this and resolve this incident", said Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales, who stated that the tragic event "has shaken our local community in South Florida".

El Taiger, who was 37 years old at the time of his death, is well known in the Latin music scene, particularly for his contributions to reggaeton, a genre that mixes Caribbean rhythms with urban sounds. He was born on September 6, 1987 in Havana, Cuba.