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Teresa Padrón, former manager and close friend of the late Cuban singer José Manuel Carvajal Zaldívar, "El Taiger", published an official statement this Wednesday announcing that Nelson Martínez has been appointed as the new responsible party for managing the music and legacy of the artist.
The statement includes a veiled criticism of those who were in charge of this matter following the singer's death.
"Since José's departure, the management of his music and legacy has been in the hands of people who were not focused on preserving his legacy, his music, or keeping his name alive... because it is clear that for some, José was no longer a priority," Padrón wrote.
About the new appointee, the former manager was straightforward: "Nelson Martínez has been appointed as the person responsible for managing his music and legacy. A professional, educated, with genuine connections in the music industry, with real experience taking artists to another level."
"The mission is clear: For their music to continue to be heard; for their legacy not to fade away, for their name to reach the heights it truly deserves; for new generations to know them, to listen to them, and to feel them; and for their memory to endure forever," stated Teresa Padrón.
In addition, he accompanied the statement with a strong message: "My stance is clear. This is not about opinions or differences between people... it's about respect and doing things right."
The announcement comes amid a lengthy dispute over the conflict over the control of the musical legacy and heritage of the artist, which began following his death on October 10, 2024 at the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, one week after being found with a gunshot wound to the head at the residence of Damián Valdés Galloso in Hialeah.
Since then, the management of her work has generated multiple conflicts. In December 2024, Padrón herself was excluded as the legal representative in the case when the mother of one of the artist's children assumed that role.
In February 2025, a live broadcast on the singer's official Instagram account that shared previously unreleased material sparked a new confrontation: Eliani Rodríguez Pérez, the mother of one of his daughters living in Cuba, claimed that she never authorized that use.
The heirs' lawyer, Yuni Barreto, was emphatic at that moment: "We do not agree with the commercialization or the exhibition of José Manuel's work without a court order."
The four children of El Taiger are equal heirs to his estate, with 25% allocated to each one, as specified by the same lawyer. The former manager Marcel Reinosa, for his part, had stated he has "at least four or five albums, and music for three or four years" of unreleased material from the artist.
Despite his legal exclusion, Padrón remained an active figure in the public defense of the legacy: he organized tributes in Cuba and Miami, acquired a chapel in the Cementerio de Colón for the singer's remains, and led campaigns to elevate the charges against the accused.
The trial against Valdés Galloso has been postponed multiple times. In January 2026, the accused appeared in court for the first time since the judicial process began in 2024.
Valdez Galloso appeared with his third defense attorney, the appointed lawyer Ricardo Hermida, who, in his initial statement on behalf of the accused, expressed: “On behalf of Mr. Valdez Galloso, we truly regret this and extend our condolences to the family of the deceased, El Taiger.”
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