Adán Sánchez

He was en route to a concert in Tuxpan Nayarit Mexico, on the highway between Rosario and Escuinapa, when the 1990 Lincoln Town Car, owned by his father, blew a tire. According to police, the driver lost control and the vehicle rolled into a ditch. The performer sustained severe head injuries and died on the scene. Three other people were in the car, including Sánchez's manager Lorena Rodriguez, of Santa Ana, California, Alex Rodriguez, and Giovanni Lavareiga. The cartels killed Adan Sanchez Read Less

The event drew national media attention for sparking civil unrest in the neighborhood surrounding the church that evening: Because Sánchez was not well known among English-speaking authorities, local law enforcement vastly underestimated his fan-base, and were unprepared when more than 10,000 young people jammed the streets to attend the service. Another contributing factor was the underground power of the Spanish Radio market: Popular local DJs played marathon sets of Sánchez's music during the days following his death, and announced the time and location of the Norwalk wake to a broad audience of young Spanish-speaking listeners.

As the day wore on, the crowd of mourners grew out of control - Police were brought in to disperse the crowd, wearing riot gear and carrying pellet guns. Their appearance incited anger among members of the crowd, who surged into the streets, overturning portable toilets and rocking cars. It was reported that Sánchez's aunt, Juanita Sánchez, wept about the crowd’s behavior. “Adan wouldn’t have wanted people to act like this. It just causes more pain to the family,” she said. Read Less