Manzanero, who was 85, died at a hospital in Mexico City, the Mexican Society of Authors and Composers confirmed to CNN. He was hospitalized in mid-December after testing positive for Covid-19, CNN reported at the time.
Manzanero was a prolific composer, with more than 600 songs to his name, according to the society. His songs were performed by artists from around the world, including Elvis Presley, Dionne Warwick, Perry Como, Spanish singer Raphael and his Mexican partner Luis Miguel.
The Latin Recording Academy, which awards the Latin Grammys, expressed its sympathy. “Armando Manzanero received the Award for Musical Excellence and was the winner of the Latin Grammy, in addition to a great friend who has now disappeared,” the organization said.
“We celebrate his life and his work. An irreplaceable loss for the world of Latin music. We are with the Manzanero family in their pain.”
Manzanero won a Latin Grammy in 2001 for his album “Duets”.
He won a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014, becoming the first Mexican to receive this honor.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador expressed his condolences.
“Armando Manzanero was a sensitive man, a man of the people. That’s why I regret his death,” he said during a press conference Monday. “He was also a great composer.”
Manzanero will be cremated in Mexico City and his remains will be moved to his hometown of Merida, in the state of Yucatan.
Mexico has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, recording 1,383,434 coronavirus cases and 122,426 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.