Fernández to Perform Final Concerts This December

It’s the end of the road for Vicente Fernández

The 72-year-old legendary Mexican singer, known as El rey de la canción ranchera, has announced that he’ll step out of the spotlight following two concerts on December 14-15 in the western state of Jalisco.

Vicente Fernandez

“I want to go back home to say my goodbyes,” said the Grammy-winning singer on Friday before the second of three shows at the Festival of Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco where he was born.

Fernández, considered mariachi music’s all-time great, announced early this year that he was planning to retire from the concert stage to spend more time with his family. He mentioned that he also wanted to step down while he was at the top of his game.

He admitted to some health problems from an inflamed liver and said his decision to retire is “definitive,” though he did add that he will continue to record discs.

The singer who made famous such tracks as “Mujeres Divinas” and “Las Llaves de Mi Alma” will bid farewell with a special tour through Spain, Central America, South America and the United States, before wrapping up his farewell tour in the land of his birth.

In a career stretching more than 50 years, the “Charro of Huentitan” recorded more than 90 albums and won numerous Billboard, Grammy and Diosa de Plata awards.