The world lost yet another musical icon on Sunday, as Mexico's legendary singer and songwriter Juan Gabriel, was declared dead after a fatal heart attack. He was 66 years old.

Though very little details about his death are known as of writing, Publicist Arturo de la Mora stated to The Associated Press that the prolific singer died at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday in his California home. He suffered a fatal heart attack.

Despite the minimal information released to the media as of writing, however, sources stated that part of the reasons behind his fatal heart attack on Sunday was his bad diet. The singer had allegedly been putting on weight and complaining of muscle pain recently.

Even more alarming was the notion that the legendary performer, whose energy on the stage made him into a household name, was allegedly running out of breath in between his recent performances.

The legacy of Alberto Aguilera Valadez, better known by his stage name Juan Gabriel, spans more than a thousand songs and decades of prominence. Born into poverty and the youngest of 10 children, Gabriel had to pass through numerous hardships before achieving his dream of becoming a musical superstar.

After his father was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Mexico City, his mother worked as a maid to support the family. Eventually, however, she had to let go of the young Gabriel, sending him to an orphanage.

Despite his mother sending him away, Gabriel stated that one of his greatest hits, Eternal Love, was dedicated to his mother. He also described her as one of the people he loved most in his life.

"Even though I don't have my mother's love today, I have the love of millions. Her love comes through all the mothers of Mexico," he said in an interview with Mexican newspaper La Jordana back in 2012.

By the time he was 13, he composed his first song. Over the course of his career, he went on to compose about 1,500 more. His songs, which were mostly love ballads, combined numerous Mexican musical genres such as mariachi, ranchero and norteno.

Though widely known as gay, Gabriel did father four children with one of his close friends, Laura Salas. His son, Ivan Aguilera, issued a statement about his father's untimely passing.

"My father's untimely passing is a tragic loss for all of us, his family, colleagues, and fans alike. We give heartfelt thanks for the outpouring of condolences we have received from around the world including from President Enrique Pena Nieto. We know that our father will miss entertaining his countless fans, who brought him tremendous joy in life," he said.

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