Legendary singer Johnny Rodriguez has passed away at the age of 73. The soulful voice behind hits like ‘Ridin’ My Thumb to Mexico’ and ‘That’s the Way Love Goes’ died on May 9, as confirmed by his daughter Aubry Rodriguez over the weekend.
Taking to Instagram, Aubry shared a touching tribute to her father, calling him not just a music icon but a beloved family man.
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“Dad was not only a legendary musician whose artistry touched millions around the world, but also a deeply loved husband, father, uncle, and brother whose warmth, humor, and compassion shaped the lives of all who knew him,” she wrote.
The Rodriguez family has asked for privacy as they mourn this immense loss, with Aubry adding, “While the world has lost an extraordinary talent, we have lost someone irreplaceable.”
Johnny Rodriguez’s journey to fame is the stuff of Nashville legend. Born on December 10, 1951, in Sabinal, Texas, Juan Raoul Davis Rodriguez broke barriers as one of the first Hispanic artists to make a mark in country music.
Fusing Tejano flair with traditional country sounds—and even singing parts of songs in Spanish—Johnny Rodriguez brought something fresh and deeply personal to the genre.
At just 21, he moved to Nashville and signed with Mercury Records. His debut single, ‘Pass Me By (If You’re Only Passing Through)’, quickly climbed the charts in 1972, peaking at No. 9 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs. But 1973 was the year he truly broke through.
He scored his first No. 1 with ‘You Always Come Back to Hurting Me’, followed by ‘Ridin’ My Thumb to Mexico’—both becoming instant classics.
That same year, his first album ‘Introducing Johnny Rodriguez’ topped Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. The Academy of Country Music named him “Most Promising Vocalist,” and he was nominated for Single of the Year. And he lived up to that promise—Rodriguez went on to record six No. 1 country hits throughout the 1970s and ’80s, leaving behind a rich catalog of heartfelt songs like ‘Desperado’, ‘Down on the Rio Grande’, and ‘Foolin’’.