NEW BRAUNFELS, TX- The King of Tejano is dead.
Emilio Navaira was rushed to a New Braunfels hospital after family members found him unconscious and not breathing. The 53-year-old singer suffered a "massive heart attack," according to popular Tejano music site, "Tejano Nation." An autopsy will be done to determine if that was the cause.
If you`re under 30, you might not have heard of him, but Emilio was considered the 'Garth Brooks of Tejano music.' Along with Selena, he introduced Tejano to the mainstream, and his Emilio Shuffle.
Candy Aguilar heard the news at one o`clock this morning saying, "I couldn`t sleep, and I got on Facebook, and Facebook light up like a Christmas Tree. He was a legend. We`re going to love him and miss him forever!"
"I was so sad to hear that he had passed away. He was such an awesome singer," says Alma Orta while her husband Ruben recalled meeting Emilio, "I met him down the street at the Island Club. He was a nice young man."
Guillermo Villereal Zamora owns Memo`s Record Shop on the East End. He knew Emilio personally and shared his thoughts, "I'm real sad because I met Emilio three or four times. In the 80`s and middle 90`s, Emilio was one of the best sellers - he and Selena. I believe we lost one of the best of Tejano music."
Back in 2008, Emilio was drunk and behind the wheel of his tour bus when he crashed on the West Loop. He was thrown through the windshield and suffered serious injuries, including brain damage. He fully recovered, which makes his sudden death at the age of 53 even more shocking.
Rest in peace, amigo.
