Music composer Jesús Arturo García Peña, better known as Mario Garena, died on August 25 after a home accident, Wradio confirmed on Thursday.
Garena was born on September 25, 1932 in the city of Barranquilla and began his musical career in 1951 when he was part of the orchestra of the Frenchman Sebastián Solari in Cali.
He is remembered thanks to compositions such as ‘Què bonica’, ‘Raça’ and the unforgettable ‘Jo em dic cúmbia’, with which he marked a milestone in Colombian popular music.
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The artist’s death occurred at his residence in Salt Lake City, USA, where he lived more than 15 years ago.
“The years added up over his life, he lost his sense of stability, he fell and the blow was fatal. They tried to revive him — but he couldn’t,” said his son Leopoldo Garcia. on W Radio.
That was his musical career
He began his musical career in 1951 singing for popular orchestras of the time, such as that of the Frenchman Sebastián Solari and the Sonolux Orchestra in Medellín.
Later, he ventured into composition and is best remembered for songs such as ‘I call myself cumbia’, which has different versions in the voices of Leonor González Mina, Totó la Momposina, the group La Sonora Dinamita, among other artists.
His work ‘I leave you the city without me’ won recognition at the Latin American Song Festival, held for the first time on this occasion in 1970.
He aspired to the presidency of the country in 1990 without much success and, in his personal life, had eight children, two of whom died in tragic accidents.