A monumental loss for Latin American music
The music world is in mourning. Rubén Rada, the iconic Uruguayan singer, percussionist, and composer, passed away on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, in Montevideo at the age of 83. His family confirmed the news through a statement on his social media channels, revealing that the cause was bilateral pneumonia, an illness he fought for a month.
Born on July 16, 1943, in Montevideo, Rada became a cornerstone of Latin American popular music, celebrated for his unique ability to blend rhythms such as candombe, rock, jazz, funk, tango, and milonga. He often described himself as a fusion musician: “I always changed: from pop I went to tango. Playing just one rhythm bores me”, he would say.
“I am a cheerful guy. There are artists who don’t show themselves fully as they are. I always show everything”
A life dedicated to rhythm and fusion
Rada was a pioneer of candombe beat alongside Eduardo Mateo, and was part of foundational bands such as El Kinto (1967-1970), Tótem, Opa (with Hugo and Osvaldo Fattoruso and Ringo Thielmann), and La Banda. His discography is vast, including albums like La Rada, En familia (1982), La Banda, Adar Nebur, Montevideo, La cosa se pone negra, Tango, Milonga & Candombe (2015), Candombe con la ayudita de mis amigos (2023), Quién va a cantar (2000), Terapia de murga (1991), Alegre caballero (2002), and the Opa classics: Goldenwings (1976) and Magic Time (1977).
Among his most famous songs are “Quién va a cantar”, “Cha cha muchacha” (a hit in 2000), “Muriendo de plena”, “Mi país” (composed in 1999 for a campaign by Uruguay’s El País newspaper), “Dedos”, “Candombe para Gardel”, “Candombe para Figari”, “Biafra”, “Las manzanas”, “Botija de mi país”, “Blumana” (also known as “Tocá che Negro Rada”), “Rock de la calle” (1979), “Uruguay” (a collaboration with Argentine rapper Trueno), “No me queda más tiempo” (re-recorded in 2015 with El Gucci), “Balderrama” (with Mex Urtizberea and Agarrate Catalina, 2025), “Heloísa” (composed with Eduardo Mateo), and “Terapia de murga”.
Roots, football, and Maradona
Rada always championed his Afro-Uruguayan roots in the music of the Río de la Plata. “Candombe comes from Africa... Candombe is inside me”, he affirmed. His childhood was difficult, marked by poverty and tuberculosis that kept him hospitalized from age 2 to 4. That illness left a spot on his lung that ended his first dream: becoming a footballer. “I was so bad they told me to quit football”, he recalled with humor. Despite that, he lived through the Maracanazo (1950) at age 7 and was a great admirer of Diego Maradona, whom he met at a Julia Zenko concert. “A very affectionate guy, who would see you and hug you, an incredible guy, a friend”, he said about the Argentine legend.
His connection to football also showed in his music: “Muriendo de plena” was adapted as a stadium chant by Argentine clubs San Lorenzo and River Plate. Originally a Nacional fan, he switched to Peñarol after receiving full team kits from the club on Three Kings Day.
His time in Argentina and television
Rada lived 12 years in Argentina, where his three children were born: Lucila, Matías, and Julieta. In Argentina, he appeared on programs like Gasoleros (1998, El Trece) and hosted Lo de Rada (2007, TV Pública). He was also a frequent guest on La Peña de Morfi (Telefe), leaving unforgettable moments: in 2016 he performed “Volver” with Guillermo Fernández; in 2019 he appeared with his children; in 2022 he sang “Candombe para Gardel”, “Dedos”, “11 y 6” (a cover of Fito Páez), “Cha cha muchacha”, and “Quién va a cantar”, receiving greetings from Jorge Drexler, Javier Malosetti, Julia Zenko, Lito Nebbia, and Hugo Fattoruso; and in 2025, his last visit, he was with Diego Leuco, Lizy Tagliani, and the murga group Agarrate Catalina.
Farewells and tributes
The news of his death sparked an outpouring of reactions across the artistic world. Charly García shared a photo without text with the song “Dedos”; Fito Páez wrote: “The Rada family is the Páez family. Today the great leader of love and music left us”; Natalia Oreiro posted the lyrics of “Botija de mi país”; Valeria Lynch recalled her experience in Hair; Trueno expressed: “May the orishas accompany you, Rubén”; Nicki Nicole thanked him for his inspiration; and Mario Pergolini asked: “Rubén Rada, rest in peace and give us music from heaven”. Others who paid tribute include David Lebón, Dante Spinetta, Andrés Ciro Martínez (who called him “The best voice in Spanish”), Pedro Alfonso, Coti, Larry de Clay, Griselda Siciliani, Benjamín Rojas, Jey Mammón, Los Auténticos Decadentes, Lisandro Aristimuño, Nito Mestre, La Beriso, Conociendo Rusia, Andrea Rincón, Pedro Aznar, Migue Granados, Kevin Johansen, and María Gadú, among many others.
At the time of his death, Rada was preparing a Tótem reunion show and a tour with the spectacle “Terapia de Murga” alongside Agarrate Catalina. His legacy, however, transcends any project: he was an undisputed reference of the Río de la Plata, an artist who took candombe to world stages and who knew how to spread his joy through music. As he himself asked in “Muriendo de plena”: “When I die / I don’t want my sorrow sung / I prefer that they hold my wake / Dancing a rich plena”.