Chalino Sánchez emerges as one of the most tragic figures in Mexican music history. With the upcoming adaptation of this deceased Mexican icon’s story for the big screen, there is a fresh intrigue surrounding the mysterious circumstances that led to his premature death.
The long-awaited biopic has been in the works for three years and is about to kick off production. The script has been crafted by Jesus Celaya, who will also step into the director’s chair. Mexican-American actor David Castañeda is reportedly approaching the role of playing Sánchez.
Before rising to the moniker of “El Rey del Corrido,” he was born as Rosalino Sánchez Félix on a farm in Culiacán, Sinaloa in 1960. At the age of seventeen, Sánchez supposedly identified the person who had attacked his sister at an event and allegedly shot and killed him. Following this incident, he left Sinaloa and moved to Tijuana to work as a coyote. Eventually, he successfully snuck into the nation and settled in Inglewood, California. While striving to make a living on the West Coast, Sánchez purportedly distributed small amounts of marijuana and cocaine.
Seeing the harsh truths of drug-related crimes on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border and the tragic death of his brother Armando inspired Sánchez to create narcocorridos, which highlighted the lives of drug traffickers. Just like the surge of hip-hop, which also dived into drug culture, in the 1990s, Sánchez and his narcocorridos followed suit. He quickly started performing in clubs all across L.A. In January 1992, Sánchez narrowly escaped an assassination attempt at one of his events in Coachella, CA.
On May 15, 1992, Sánchez returned to Culiacán. He showcased his greatest hits at the Salón Bugambilias, such as “Alma Enamorada.” While he was singing that song, Sánchez received a threatening note. The chilling video captured his startled expression and then crumpling the note. This marked his final performance.
The next day, Sánchez’s lifeless body was discovered in a ditch near Los Laureles in Culiacán. He was blindfolded with his hands and feet tied together. Sánchez had suffered two gunshot wounds to the back of his head. While his assassination remains unsolved, speculations point to potential connections with the Mexican cartel, a personal grudge, or retaliation for the individual he allegedly killed, prompting his escape in the first place.
His son Adán “Chalino” Sánchez went on to follow in his father’s footsteps, emerging as a rising star in the corridos scene. Sadly, the younger Sánchez passed away on March 27, 2004, due to an accident following a tire blowout in his father’s car.
Image Source: Chalino Sánchez @ Instagram