José Manuel Figueroa

Popular Mexican singer, actor, and songwriter (born April 8, 1951 in Juliantla, Guerrero, Mexico – died July 13, 2015 in Teacalco, Guerrero, Mexico) Figueroa is better known under his pseudonym Joan Sebastian. Between 1969 and 1974, however, he started out recording under the stage name "Figueroa" with Capitol. In 1975, he switched to Musart and began to be billed with his full name, José Manuel Figueroa. In 1977 he adopted the stage name Joan Sebastian by which he is best known today, but continued to use his birth name for writing credits. Figueroa's music is a mixture of Latin pop, ranchera and grupera music. Both as a singer and as the writer of hundreds of songs, Figueroa won seven Latin Grammy Awards and four Grammy Awards. From 1996 to 1997, Figuero also starred in the Mexican soap opera "Tú y Yo" (You and I), together with his former wife Maribel Guardia. The show became an instant television hit.