Legendary Folk Singer Facundo Cabral Assassinated In Guatemala

By Michael Lopez

The Latin music world was rocked this morning with the breaking news of Facundo Cabral's vicious murder. The legendary Argentine folk singer was shot at least eight times by unknown gunmen while on route to Guatemala City's airport.

Facundo had been a fixture of the folk scene for over five decades and wrote “No Soy De Aqui Ni Allá,” one of the world’s most covered songs. He was also famous for his protest songs and as one of UNESCO's official Messengers of Peace.

It's hard to imagine anyone disliking the 74-year-old singer, which makes his murder that much more puzzling. Was it a random act of violence? A robbery gone wrong? Or perhaps a planned attack?

All that's known is that the killers drove up in two unmarked black vehicles and opened fire. Cabral seemed to be the main target, although his concert promoter Henry Fariña was also wounded. Police later found the two black cars abandoned in El Salvador, but little evidence was recovered.

When asked about the incident, Facundo's rep, David Llanons said,

"I don't know how and why this happened, because Facundo is well-known around the world and I don't see why anyone would be interested in killing him."

We imagine more of the mystery will begin to unravel within the next few days. But regardless, the music world has suffered an incredible loss and our deep condolences go out to the entire Cabral family.

Do you think Facundo was the victim of a professional hit? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Facundo Cabral, Guatemala, Música, RIP