The Singer Who Received His “DEATH NOTE” 12 Hrs Before Dying
The death of Chalino Sanchez is one shrouded in mystery & legend.
Who Was Chalino Sanchez?
Chalino Sanchez was known for his “narcocorridos” also known in English as “drug ballads”. Think of folk music except the lyrics would tell true tales of drug traffickers, the cartel, and the lawlessness of Mexico. The “Corrido” was a genre of music that started in the mid-1800s and would recount tales of “Valientes” aka brave men and their exploits.
Chalino would revolutionize the music scene in L.A. & Mexico with his spin on the corrido genre. It’s reported that 50% of the music recorded in Mexico is based on the legacy that he left. In the words of Abel Orozco, owner of El Parral nightclub, “Chalino changed everything.” He’d wear a cowboy getup, a gun tucked into his belt, carrying a gravitas with him, friends described him as a “tough guy”; as he was often prone to violence when challenged. He had an estimated net worth of $6 million at 31 years old.
To really understand this legend, we must dig into his past.
Chalino’s past
Chalino was born in a small village in Sinaloa, Mexico, he had seven brothers and one sister. At 11 years old, his sister would be kidnapped, raped, then sent home naked by several men. Chalino swore vengeance for his sister. He knew that a local man named “El Chapo Perez” was one of the men responsible, 4 years later he finally got his chance at avenging his sister. Perez was at a party with two other men, once Chalino had seen him, he shot him point-blank, killing him. A shootout began and Chalino escaped, fleeing to L.A. weeks later.
He worked as a farmer for some time, then moved back to Mexico to work with his brother smuggling immigrants. The business ultimately failed and his brother was later killed.
Chalino was arrested later on and sent to jail for 8 months for small-time crimes.
Writing Corridos
In jail, he’d hear the life stories of inmates detailing their lives as drug traffickers, their dealings with the cartel, etc. He translated their stories into song lyrics for his corridos.
Following his release, he traveled back to L.A. for work. He hired a band to record his music, then made the decision to sing the corridos himself, word of Chalino's music spread like wildfire in the Spanish communities of LA.
He’d go on to play live at packed venues in L.A, the shows were often chaotic, usually ending with the police called and damage to the venues. The chaos only escalated; whilst singing at a Quinceanera, all seemed well until a drunk man from the crowd began hassling Chalino. The man then jumped on stage and fired a gun at Chalino. Gunfire was exchanged between both men. One man was killed and ten were wounded. Chalino was wounded and a bystander stopped the drunk man. Word of the incident increased Chalino’s notoriety as a “Valiente” aka a tough guy and his fanbase continued to grow.
Final Will And Testament
Following this incident, he’d realized that any show he played could be his last so naturally, he got his affairs in order for the worst-case scenario; his death.
“The atmosphere in the bars and cantinas is dangerous, and he knew it.”
“He did what anyone does when you realize that you can die at any time. He put his life in order.” says Marisela (Chalino’s Wife)
He sold the rights to his music to a record label, using the money for a down payment on a house for his wife and kids. Chalino still needed to pay off the rest of the house so he accepted a gig in Culican, Mexico. One of the most dangerous places in Mexico due to the cartel’s influence.
Chalino had been receiving death threats following the previous incident and to top it off Culican was an especially dangerous place to be for a man like him.
Both friends and family desperately pleaded with him not to return to Mexico because of the death threats, however, because he accepted half of the payment in advance from the venue: “Salon Buganvilias”, he needed to hold up his end of the deal.
The “Death Note”
The video above is the final show that Chalino ever played on May 16th, 1992 in Culican, Mexico. While on stage, Chalino is greeted by swaying cowboy hats and excited fans. A fan pushes their way to the front stage, handing the famed singer a note.
It’s widely believed that the note was not a song request but a death threat of some kind. The infamous moment was labeled the “Death Note”.
You can see Chalino read it, wipe the sweat from his forehead, and then sing unbothered.
At the end of the show, he’d leave with his two brothers, a cousin, and several young women. Later on, they were stopped by armed men in Chevrolet Suburbans claiming to be police. One of the men flashed his badge and said to Chalino:
“My comandante needs you.”
Chalino & his brothers tried to offer the men money since it wasn’t uncommon for Mexican police to accept bribes due to the massive corruption, unfortunately, they refused the offer.
Chalino gave himself up to the men and they sped off with him. Twelve hours later, two farmers stumble across a man in a ditch with rope marks around his wrists, and two gunshots to the back of the head.
It was Chalino Sanchez.
Who Killed The Corrido King?
An investigation was carried out but nothing turned up, there was no motive or suspects; the investigation had hit a dead end. As mentioned before, the massive corruption in Mexico likely played a role in the unsolved mystery, halting the investigation before any progress was made.
The world still doesn’t know who killed the Mexican legend but
three main theories remain:
1. El Chapo Perez’s associates:
To refresh your memory, Perez was one of the men responsible for raping Chalino’s sister, after being killed by Chalino, it’s believed that people who knew Perez still sought revenge for the murder.
2. Edward Gallegos:
Edward was the drunken man who fired at Chalino onstage. People speculate that he was a hitman sent to assassinate the singer but nothing is 100% confirmed, people believe that associates of Gallegos wanted revenge because Gallegos was ultimately sent to prison for his crimes.
3. The Sinaloan Cartel:
It’s likely the two men above had cartel connections, and arranged for his death, however, it’s unconfirmed. Because Chalino took commissions from actual cartel members, it’s possible that the Sinaloa cartel saw Chalino as a tool for other cartels and took him out.
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