NEED TO KNOW
The Mavericks singer and frontman Raul Malo has died. He was 60.
Malo died on Monday, Dec. 8 after a battle with cancer. In September 2025, he had revealed that he was battling LMD, or leptomeningeal disease, a cancer that affects the brain and spinal cord, per Cleveland Clinic and Rolling Stone.
Rolling Stone was first to report the news of his death.
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“It’s with the deepest grief we share the passing of our friend, bandmate and brother Raul Malo on December 8th, 2025 at the age of 60,” the band’s wrote in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
It continued, “Anyone with the pleasure of being in Raul’s orbit knew that he was a force of human nature, with an infectious energy. Over a career of more than three decades entertaining millions around the globe, his towering creative contributions and unrivaled, generational talent created the kind of multicultural American music reaching far beyond America itself.”
The statement praised Malo’s “spirited performances” that earned him a “massive & loyal following, and his powerful songwriting and musicianship earned multiple Grammy, ACM, and CMA awards.”
“It was his lifelong commitment to the preservation of the multi-lingual American musical repertoire of which he was most proud, making history in 2020 with the first album ever to debut at the top of both the Latin Pop and Folk-Americana charts,” the band added.
The band celebrated how Malo was a “steadfast championing of music education as an inspiration for every child across America and throughout the world” and earned several accolades for his advocacy.
“Though his earthly body may have passed, Raul’s spirit will live on forever in heaven, and here on earth through the music, joy, and light he brought forth,” the statement concluded. “His contributions to American and Latin music will be everlasting, as his songs and voice touched fans and fellow artists around the world.”
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The Malo family also shared a statement about the late artist with PEOPLE.
“No one embodied life and love, joy and passion, family, friends, music, and adventure the way our beloved Raul did. Now he will look down on us with all that heaven will allow, lighting the way and reminding us to savor every moment,” they wrote.
The statement continued, “Dino, Victor, Max and I — along with our entire family — thank all of you for your love and support through all of this. We felt every bit of it. In Raul’s own words: “Muchísimas gracias.”
On Sunday, Dec. 7, Malo’s wife Betty shared updates about her husband’s illness on Instagram, asking for cards and letters and encouraging people to send donations to their GoFundMe.
A day later, she shared an image of Malo with “one of his huge musical influences Tony Bennett.”
“As Raul spends his time now with our immediate family, please continue to lift him and everyone up in prayer as he battles #LMDCancer a rare form of brain cancer,” she captioned the post.
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Born in Miami, Malo was a singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. In 1989, he co-founded the Mavericks, and a year later, they would release their self-titled debut album independently. The band has released 13 albums throughout their career and earned one Grammy Award.
Throughout his career, Malo was the co-writer of many the Mavericks’ singles and even co-wrote Rick Trevino’s 2003 track “In My Dreams.”
After the Mavericks disbanded the early aughts, Malo kicked off his solo career and he joined the Los Super Seven supergroup in 2001. By 2012, the Mavericks reunited and continued to tour.
Malo revealed he was diagnosed with cancer in June 2024, and in September 2025, he canceled the remainder of his tour dates due to his illness.
Malo is survived by his wife of 34 years, Betty; sons Dino, Victor, and Max, mother Norma, sister Carol, and Mavericks bandmates Paul Deakin, Eddie Perez, and Jerry Dale McFadden.
