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The renowned Cuban musician and composer Edesio Alejandro died on Wednesday in Spain at the age of 66, after several years battling cancer.
The prominent guitarist passed away after 3:00 pm in a hospital in Alcalá de Henares, northeast of Madrid, where he lived with his wife Idolka de Erviti, following a deterioration in his health.
"Edesio Alejandro is gone, the man behind 'Fundar una esperanza' and 'Hoy es siempre todavía', the one with the rumba 'Blen Blen', the 'Tumbao Look' and 'Danzonello', and so much divine production he has left along the way," said writer and journalist Jesús Díaz Loyola on Facebook.
The renowned artist had been suffering from prostate cancer for more than four years.
"The musical work of Edesio is vast and multifaceted, always driven by an urge for innovation that placed him among the most advanced Cuban artists of our time, with a virtuous perspective of universality. (...) But above all, he was a warm-hearted human being, a giant in his affections and loyalties, someone who was impossible not to love from the very first encounter," said journalist Wilfredo Cancio Isla on Facebook.
Edesio was just a few days away from turning 67 years old, on the upcoming March 28.
Last March, upon turning 66, he shared a text of gratitude to God and to the doctors from Cuba and Spain on his Facebook wall for allowing him to continue living alongside his beloved son Cristian, family, and friends.
"I thank you all very much for the kind words of congratulations you've shared with me through phone calls, in person, and on social media. I love you all very much," he/she wrote at that time.
Edesio Alejandro is a prominent figure in Cuban music, well-recognized both in his country and internationally. Innovative and versatile, his work spanned genres such as rock and electronic music, and he was also a prolific composer of soundtracks for film and television.
Following the announcement of his passing, numerous figures in the music world have expressed their condolences.
"Edesio Alejandro has just passed away in Madrid. Not only one of the best Cuban musicians I consider, but also one of the most humble and honest people I have had the pleasure of enjoying friendship with for several years," lamented producer and publicist Eliam M. Marrero Bernal.
In August of last year, Edesio was admitted in serious condition due to a tumor in his spine resulting from the cancer he was suffering from; the doctors informed his family that he had "advanced metastasis".
The actor, singer, and music promoter known as Miguel Elkubanisimo opened an account on the GoFundMe platform to raise money for an alternative treatment aimed at extending the life of a patient by one to two years. The cost of the therapy amounted to 36,000 euros.
"I am admitted to a sanatorium in Madrid. Although cancer has not defeated me, we are in a very close struggle and things are not going well. I am in the sanatorium because the illness is causing a lot of pain...," the musician said at the time.
Edesio, who held Spanish citizenship, left for Spain in 2021 because he could not access medical treatment for his illness in Cuba, due to the healthcare crisis that the Island is facing.
"I came because I have been living with prostate cancer for four years. Recently, the medication that controls this cancer has run out in Cuba [...]. So I have to be here, I have no other choice. If I want to live, I have to be here," he commented in March 2024.
"I feel the distance deeply. I try to stay as far away from the current events over there as possible because when you're sick, it's better to be psychologically distanced, but it frustrates me what is happening in Cuba and the situation of the people," he expressed.
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