Flaco Jiménez, a beloved Tejano and Conjunto musician, has died at the age of 86, according to his family. Flaco Jiménez was surrounded by his loved ones at the time of his death Thursday night.
Thank you to all of his fans and friends — those who cherished his music. And a big thank you for all of the memories. His legacy will live on through his music and all of his fans. The family requests privacy during this time of sadness and grievance
Born Leonardo Flaco Jiménez in San Antonio in 1939, he came from a family of musicians. His father, Santiago Jiménez Sr., was an icon of Conjunto music, and Flaco learned to play the accordion at a very young age, performing at the age of 7.
Musical tributes for Flaco Jimenez have been playing all day at radio station Majic 104.9 in his hometown of San Antonio, where the Tejano legend was born and raised.
"He crossed over when a lot of people weren't able to do it. He was in rock and roll, he was in country, he was in Tejano, he was in conjunto. He was everywhere and he was so loved. He never left his roots in San Antonio and he's San Antonio royalty," said Carlos Lopez, owner of Majic 104.9.
Flaco went on to win his first of five Grammy Awards in 1986 for his album Ay Te Dejo en San Antonio, and then won another Grammy Award as a member of Los Super Seven. Jiménez's solo album, Said and Done, triumphed in the Best Tejano Music Performance Grammy Award category in 1999. In 2015, he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Flaco Jiménez was a prolific collaborator, creating masterpieces with a wide range of artists. He was a member of the Texas Tornados, which was known for its cult classic Hey Baby Que Paso. The group performed the hit song on Austin City Limits and released a live album titled Live from Austin, TX.
Jiménez branched out from Tex-Mex music and experimented with other artists such as Dwight Yoakam, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones.
