San Antonio Tejano singer Joe Bravo has died at age 76, according to an announcement from his family.
Known as "El Playboy," Bravo's six-decade music career spanned time in legendary West Side soul group the Sunglows and work as a Tejano solo artist that included the genre hits "Que Casualidad" and “Patita de Conejo.”
“My Dad has gained his wings and is singing with the Angels," Bravo's daughter Lisa M. Dorantes said in Facebook post. "I’m still in a fog and can’t believe this is happening! Thank you all for the phone calls, texts, and prayers. I don’t know how word got out so quickly but it did."
Dorantes asked fans for their prayers as the family works out details for a memorial.
Bravo broke into the music business in 1959, performing with Little Joe & The Harlems before jumping to The Sunglows in the early '60s as a replacement for original singer Sunny Ozuna, according to the website Tejano Nation, which first reported his death.
Bravo's smooth delivery adorned lowrider classics including "It's OK" and "I Apologize." His eventual shift into Chicano rock, then the thriving Tejano scene further built his career and made him a Latin Grammy winner, according to the site.
Although Bravo faced health problems in recent years, he gave a San Antonio performance in November that included appearances from other genre heavyweights including Freddie Martinez and Ozuna, whom he replaced in the Sunglows, Tejano Nation reports.
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