Jose Jose, real name José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz, was a Mexican musician, singer, and occasional actor. He started his solo artist career in 1970 and had his career pick from 1970-1985. Before that, he had worked with a jazz and bossa nova trio where he sang and played bass and double bass.
Furthermore, with his hard-working and dedication, he was considered by the Latin audiences and media as an icon of Latin pop music. His performance and vocal style have influenced many Latin pop artists in a career over the decades. As an actor, he had starred in several movies like Gavilán o Paloma(1985) and Perdóname Todo(1995). Unfortunately, he died on 28 September 2019 due to the disease at the Homestead hospital in Homestead, Florida at the age of 71.
Caption: Jose Jose, the late Mexican singer.
Source: YouTube
Jose Jose: Bio, Family, Education
He was born on 17 February 1948 as José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz in Claveria, Azcapotzalco, Mexico City. He was born as the son of operatic tenor José Sosa Esquivel and a classical pianist, Margarita Ortiz. The singer was raised by his mother along with his younger brother when his father abandoned by their alcoholic father. He has not provided information on his academic qualifications.
However, he might have been homeschooled since he started his musical career at a young age. He began taking music lessons after his mother gave him at the age of 15. In 1965, he started his solo career under the name ‘Pepe Sosa’. Additionally, his mother has been there to encourage him during his career. After that, he recorded his first studio album ‘ José José’ under the record label RCA Victor who signed him.
Jose Jose: Career & Life Achievements
Though he didn’t get much success from his first album, he garnered praise from critics. He then released his first single ‘La nave del olvido’ that became a big hit in Mexico and Latin America. Following that, he released his second album La Nae Del Olvido which brought him huge success widely. In the next ten years, he had several major hits including “De Pueblo en Pueblo”, “Hasta Que Vuelvas”, “Déjame Conocerte”, and “Sentimientos”. In between the year, his album Reencuentro became the first to released under German record label Ariola Records.
By the 1990s, his voice began to worsen over time and it said that his excessive drinking and unceasing activity cause his voice to stammer. In 1993, he announced his retirement in stage and joined rehab. After completing his rehabilitation, he returned to his musical career and reunited with Manuel Alejandro to work on the album Grandeza Mexicana.
He recorded his first and last studio album with Mariachi in 2001 though he had not stopped to released singles. However, he was again planning to record a new album but due to his vocal problems, he had to stop it. Further, he gave his final live performance in 2012 as a celebration of his 50-year career at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Miami.
Jose Jose: Personal Life & Wife
He was married thrice and divorced once. At the time of his death, he was married to his third wife Sara “Sarita” Salazar in 1995. They were residing in Miami, Florida with their three children: Monique Salazar, Celine Salazar, and Sarita Sosa Salazar. Before that, he first married a socialite, Natalia “Kiki” Herrera Calles, 20 years older than him in 1970. But their relationship didn’t last long and divorced in 1975.
Furthermore, he has married a second time with his on-and-off girlfriend Ana Elena Noreña. She is a Mexican actress and former model who debuted with the film Tápame Contigo, popularly known as Anel. Jose and Anel were in a brief relationship before his marriage to Calles. After divorce, the duo married in 1976 and gave birth to two children. They had welcomed two children: José Francisco (known as José Joél), born in 1975, and daughter Marysol Estrella, born in 1982. This relationship of his also ended in divorce in 1991.
His marriage resulted in divorce which reported because of drinking and later developed a cocaine habit. In 1972, he had suffered a severe case of pneumonia and suffered from the thoracic diaphragm was paralyzed. Since then he had suffered from many diseases as well. In 2007, he bore the temporary ability of facial paralysis called Bell’s Palsy which led to serious depression. He underwent surgery in 2012 due to gastritis and an operation to remove cataracts from one of his eyes in 2013.
Caption: Jose Jose and Sara Salazar
Source: YouTube
Death:
He died on 28 September 2019 due to pancreatic disease that diagnosed in March 2017. He took his last breather at the Homestead hospital in Homestead, at the age of 71. His funeral held in Miami on 4 October 2019 exclusively for family and friends and José was finally cremated on 8 October. His ashes were divided into two parts: With a portion of his ashes taken back to Mexico while remaining in Miami.
Jose Jose: Net Worth & Social Media Profiles
He had accumulated a hefty amount from his career in the music industry. He has also appeared as the occasional actor and featured in several Mexican Films and series. At the time of his demise in 2019, his net worth had an estimation of around $5 million.
Before his death, he had made his financial problems in the media due to his alcoholism caused monetary loss. In 2008, paying medical bills for his wife who suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage nearly caused him bankruptcy. Further, he sold his house in Coral Gables worth $5 million and moved to an apartment in Miami.
To date, there is a verified account @josejoseoffical on Instagram with 194k followers. On Twitter, he has a verified handle @josejoseoficial having 111.2k followers.
Jose Jose: Body Measurements
The musician had an average-looking body structure with a height of 5 feet 8 inches or 1.72 meters and weighs around 78 kg. Other than this, there is no information on his body measurements of chest, waist, and hips respectively. He had dark brown eyes color with black-gray hair.
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