Cuban Institute of Music mourns the death of El Taiger: "He always expressed love for his country."

The Cuban Institute of Music (ICM) spoke out about the death of reggaeton artist José Manuel Carbajal Zaldívar (El Taiger), who passed away this Thursday at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where he had been in critical condition since sustaining a gunshot wound to the head on October 3rd.

In a statement published on its Facebook profile, the ICM sends its "sincere condolences" to the family, friends, and admirers of the singer.

"We bid farewell to one of the most recognized figures of the urban genre, who did not renounce his condition as a Cuban and always expressed love for his country," says the text.

The 36-year-old singer was declared dead this Thursday. "He has now reunited with his beloved mother in heaven," states an official statement published on his Instagram page.

The institute adopts the same attitude as the former Minister of Culture Abel Prieto, the current president of Casa de Las Américas, who a few days ago sent his wishes for El Taiger's recovery and emphasized that "he has not renounced his nationality nor his love for Cuba."

In its official note, the entity states that "Cuban institutions provided ongoing support for his health status and assisted his close family members in the consular management for the request of a humanitarian visa at the United States Embassy in Havana."

Last Saturday, in a late official statement, the ICM spoke out about the aggression that the reggaeton artist suffered in Miami.

After admitting that it knew about the news from the very day it occurred, the organization waited more than 48 hours to describe what happened as a "regrettable event," a delay that left some internet users in disbelief.

The official journalist Lázaro Manuel Alonso also briefly touched on the topic on his Facebook and expressed wishes for the injured person's recovery.

"That El Taiger lives is the wish of thousands of Cubans inside and outside of Cuba, and also mine. Life above all and also respect for his family," he wrote.

In its digital edition on Saturday, the newspaper Trabajadores published a brief article signed by Joel García León, the director of that media outlet, who blamed the "violent society" in the United States for incidents like the one that occurred with the singer.