The pianist Alfredo Rodríguez Jr. confirmed this Thursday the death of his father, the renowned Cuban musician Alfredo Rodríguez, through a message published on social networks.
“Fly high, dad. You were faithful to your music, to your audience, to your principles, to your ideals, to your roots and, most importantly, to our family,” wrote Rodríguez Jr., expressing that his father was “faithful to his music, to his audience, to his principles.”
Through the official account of the author of Sagittarius, The family recalled that the musician leaves “an immense legacy” and “an indelible mark on the lives of those who admired and loved him. His memory will always live in our hearts.”
Alfredito Rodríguez was born on November 29, 1951 in Havana. He became very popular for his career in music and romantic ballads in the 60s after joining Cuban television.
He achieved great popularity for his own songs such as Empapado de sudor and Que me encapricho, and for his presence in the national media from the first years of his career.
His songs turned into anthems are still freshly remembered. Sagittarius and good person.
With a special charisma and acclaimed by the public, Alfredito was a presenter and director of television programs such as Su noche con Alfredo, En familia con Alfredo, Sábado especial and The difference.
He lived his last years in the United States. His son told OnCuba in 2020 how difficult it was for his father to leave the island.
“When I came to the United States, he had a contract in Mexico because he wrote for a newspaper and had a television contract in that country. So, when I left for the United States, he also decided to leave.”
“Due to the laws at that time, it would be almost impossible to see each other if he stayed in Cuba with my mother. So he stayed in Mexico for about two years and then decided to come to the United States. My brother came before my parents. They no longer had any children in Cuba,” he added.
“My dad has a very small family. My grandparents died when I was a child of five or six years old. He has no siblings and we are a very small family. He only has my brother and me, and some distant cousins. That’s why he decided to leave,” he said.
“Popularity, knowledge and respect”
For the Cuban musicographer and critic Rosa Marquetti, Alfredito will be remembered as a singular figure for his connection with diverse audiences and his personal ethics.
In a message on Facebook Marquetti stressed that few Cuban artists managed to combine “popularity, recognition and respect” in such different audiences.
He also highlighted the absolute dedication of the performer and his classic conception of the craft: “respect for the public, in the old way, when ‘respectable’ was the most for the artist.”
The researcher also highlighted Rodríguez’s massive impact on stages and media, remembering the “crowd baths” in which he starred and his “enormous communication capacity” demonstrated in television programs that he hosted “with the greatest and most admirable rigor.”
On a personal level, he stated that his human quality was a central part of his legacy: “his being a good person was a real legend.”
“Rest in peace, Alfredito Rodríguez. You have left your mark,” Marquetti concluded.
