Mexican Pop Superstar Juan Gabriel Was Molested by a Priest at 13

The late Mexican pop icon Juan Gabriel, who scored 20 Top 10 hits and seven No. 1s on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, had troubled past.

In the four-part docuseries Juan Gabriel: I Must, I Can, I Will, which premiered on Netflix Thursday, Oct. 30, a narrator reveals that the singer-songwriter —whose death in 2016 was mourned by political leaders (then-Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and then-U.S. President Barack Obama) and fellow musicians, including John Fogerty—was molested by a priest in his youth.

The docuseries also details Gabriel’s younger years as a juvenile delinquent. When he was a minor, the narrator says, Gabriel had “already been to court three times.”

“At 17, for stealing money from a purse. At 16, he was accused of stealing perfumes in Ciudad Juárez, and that same year he was detained for his manners and for obstructing a police officer,” the narrator says in the docuseries.

When he was 20, he was imprisoned after he was wrongfully accused of theft, the docuseries states, and he was sent to Lecumberri, which is “the toughest and most feared prison in Mexico City.” After his arrest, Gabriel told authorities about his past.

“His statement exposes he had a difficult and lonely childhood with no guidance or family support,” the narrator says. “He lacked a well-integrated home.”

“At 13, he was forced to work as a helper in the house of a priest who molested him, propositioned him,” the narrator reveals.

Known as “El Divo de Juárez” in part because of his flamboyant style, Gabriel was born in Michoacán and spent much of his childhood in Ciudad Juárez. He died on Aug, 28, 2016 of a heart attack.

When he was alive, Juan Gabriel never publicly stated he was molested by a priest.

Per the docuseries’ description, “Rare videos and exclusive interviews reveal the genius, sacrifices and duality between the public and private lives of iconic singer-songwriter Juan Gabriel.”

Across the four episodes, viewers have access to Juan Gabriel like never before as they’re taken on a journey from the beginnings of his career to his death.

“What makes this project unique is being immersed in the two personas: the private and the public figure,” director María José Cuevas told Billboard Español in a recent interview. “Juan Gabriel was music. Alberto Aguilera Valadez [his real name] was his pause.”

Juan Gabriel released his debut album El Alma Joven in 1971 at age 21, and he rose to become one of Latin music’s most prolific artists, selling over 100 million records worldwide. His 1984 album, Recuerdos, Vol. II, had sold 8 million copies at the time of his death, making it Mexico’s all-time best-selling album, per Rolling Stone. He received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in May 2002.

Juan Gabriel: I Must, I Can, I Will is streaming now on Netflix.