For as long as celebrities have existed, fake rumours about their deaths have been making the rounds. Usually, all it takes to dispel these death hoaxes is an announcement from the celebrity in question or their PR team stating that they are very much alive. And life goes smoothly on until the next time the rumour wheels declare them dead.
Unfortunately for the infamous Mexican Banda singer, Sergio Vega, popularly known by his stage name “El Shaka,” the story didn’t simply end there. In what can only be described as a feat of tragic irony, Vega was brutally murdered after coming out to deny recent reports that he had been killed.
Vega was one of the most prolific Latin musicians of his era but like many of his Mexican counterparts making Grupero music, his life came to a worrisome and violent end.
Facts You Didn’t Know About Sergio Vega’s Life and Death
You can’t talk about the history of Mexican music without mentioning Sergio Vega. Although it’s been many years since his passing, his songs are still widely played, listened to, and loved by fans from all over Latin America and beyond. Here are ten interesting facts about the singer’s life and death that you need to know.
1. Sergio Vega was born into a large working-class family
The celebrated musician was born Jose Sergio Vega Cuamea on September 12, 1969, in the small Mexican town of Ejido Hornos, in the northern state of Sonora, near the city of Ciudad Obregon. He was the eighth of thirteen children born to his parents. His family wasn’t rich so he had to learn to make a living for himself from an early age.
2. He started his musical journey with his brothers
While Sergio Vega was living in Phoenix Arizona in 1989, he decided to pursue his musical talents by starting a group with his brothers. Their band was called Los Hermanos Vega and they secured a recording deal with Joey Records shortly after and released several acclaimed songs including “El Rayo de Sinaloa” and “Corazon de Oropel.” Following a disagreement with his brothers, Vega left the group and started a new band called Los Rayos del Norte.
3. Sergio immigrated to the United States as a young adult
At the age of 19, Sergio relocated to the United States in search of greener pastures and to chase his dreams of becoming a singer. After his climb to fame, he spent the rest of his life shuttling back and forth between Mexico and America.
4. Sergio Vega rose to stardom singing narcocorridos tunes
In 2004, Vega and his band changed their sound and began composing narcocorridos, a folk ballad that sings praises celebrating the achievements and exploits of Mexico’s drug lords. Drug barons would pay him tens of thousands of dollars to special compose music in their honor.
5. Many of “El Shaka” Vega’s lyrics glorified life of crime
Sergio’s music was often criticized for glorifying unsettling careers and lifestyles like smuggling drugs, using illegal substances, and killing your enemies. His lyrics made it seem as though a life of crime was the only way to achieve a good life.
6. Sergio Vega was killed a few hours after denying his death
Shortly before he died, Vega held an interview with La Oreja, a Mexican entertainment website where he quelled rumours stating he had been murdered. A few hours later, while driving to a concert in Sinaloa, his car was chased by gunmen and splattered with bullets. The singer died on the spot.
7. Over 30 bullets were discovered in his corpse
After his vehicle and body were discovered by the authorities, an autopsy was carried out and dozens of bullets were removed from his lifeless corpse. Vegas’s assistant, Sergio Montel was also in the car during the shooting but he only sustained serious injuries.
8. After his death, his family denied that he had any ties to drug cartels
Even though Vega made a name for himself singing narcocorridos, his family insisted that the late musician was a good man and he had no issues or connections with the kind of people capable of carrying out assassinations. Instead, they suggested that Vega was killed by car thieves.
9. The police blamed drug gangs for Sergio Vega’s murder
Contrary to Vega’s family opinion, the Mexican police believed that rival drug gangs who hated the people the musician sang about were responsible for his death.
10. Sergio Vega has over two dozen singles and albums to his name
Sergio and his band were signed to Digital Universal, under which they released several notable albums and hits such as Olor a Hierba, Las Parcelas de Mendoza, El Ayudante, and Eres mi Estrella.
