Singer Diego Verdaguer, whose hits include ‘Volveré, dies of COVID-19 complications

MEXICO CITY — Argentine singer-songwriter Diego Verdaguer, whose romantic hits such as “Corazón de papel,” “Yo te amo” and “Volveré” sold almost 50 million copies, has died of complications from COVID-19, his family said Friday. He was 70.

The naturalized Mexican-Argentine musician, who was married to singer Amanda Miguel, died Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles, his daughter Ana Victoria said in a statement released by Diam Music, Verdaguer’s record company.

“With absolute sadness, I regret to inform his fans and friends that today my father left his beautiful body to continue his path and creativity in another form of eternal life,” said his daughter. “My mother, I and the whole family are immersed in this pain, so we appreciate your understanding in these difficult times.”

The statement was also published on the Twitter account of Amanda Miguel, who wrote “#restinpeace” along with the emojis of a pair of her hands palm to palm and a white heart.”

Verdaguer dedicated his last blog post to his wife, writing: “I will never tire of dedicating this song to you. You are the thief who stole my heart!” he wrote, referring to his song “Thief.”

Verdaguer contracted COVID-19 in December and was hospitalized, according to the statement. His publicist in Mexico, Claudia López Ibarra, said he was vaccinated against the coronavirus.

“Yes, he was vaccinated … but the virus attacked him in the U.S. when the Delta variant was present,” López Ibarra told the AP in a text message on Friday.

Miguel has publicly expressed anti-vaccine views.

According to the publicist, Verdaguer frequently traveled to the United States, especially after the birth of Lucca, the eldest son of Ana Victoria, who lives in Los Angeles.

“We deeply regret the loss of #diegoverdaguer, we were together recently when the came to our concert in Los Angeles. A hug for @amandamiguels and his family,” tweeted the Argentine singing duo Pimpinela.

No details about Verdaguer’s funeral were released.