Mavericks captain Raul Malo dies at the age of 60 | music

Raul Malo, the soulful tenor and lead singer of the Grammy-winning, genre-challenging band Mavericks, has died. He was 60 years old.

Mallo died Monday evening, his wife, Betty Mallo, posted on his Facebook page. He was diagnosed with cancer. The Mavericks forward has documented his health journey on social media since he revealed in June 2024 that he was receiving treatment for colon cancer.

In September 2025, Mallo said on Instagram that he was battling LMD, or leptomeningeal disease, a rare complication when cancer spreads to the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

The diagnosis forced the Mavericks to cancel their dates with Dwight Yoakam in the middle of a joint tour. Malu left his home in Nashville, Tennessee, to receive treatment in Houston, keeping his fans updated along his health journey.

“He has been called to do another gig – this time in the sky – soaring high like an eagle,” Betty Malo wrote. “No one embodied life, love, joy, passion, family, friends, music and adventure as our beloved Raoul did. Now he will look at us with all that heaven allows, lighting the way and reminding us to savor every moment.”

Malo’s band praised his deep commitment to “preserving America’s multilingual musical repertoire” and his steadfast advocacy of “music education as an inspiration to every child across America and around the world.”

Born in Miami to Cuban parents, Raul Francisco Martinez Malo Jr. co-founded the Mavericks in 1989 with drummer Paul Deakin and guitarist Robert Reynolds. Their self-titled debut album was released the following year on the Miami-based independent label Y&T Music.

Some call the band alternative country. Others describe it as Americana, roots, Latin, Tejano, or swing. All of the above and more, driven by songs written by Malo, his expansive guitar style and his expansive vocal range, from velvety soaring baritone to soaring operatic notes.

His musical prowess was in the mix, which also included rock, traditional country and surf. In the early days in Miami, the Mavericks played in punk and rock clubs to get their sound out there.

“I grew up in a house where we listened to all kinds of music,” Malo said in a 2020 interview with NPR. “I just remember it was a celebration of all these cultures.”

At the time, the Mavericks had just released an all-Spanish album, En Español, featuring original songs and classic Latin American standards. In 2002, Malo released an all-Spanish children’s album, El Cancionero de la Familia Volume 1, featuring vocals by his sister Carol, his wife Betty, and his mother Norma, along with other guests.

The band has taken on different iterations over the years as some members have come and gone. The Mavericks have also disbanded several times. Malo has released nearly a dozen solo albums and collaboration projects as well, including his instrumentals Say Less, You’re Only Lonely and Sinners & Saints.

The Mavericks released their thirteenth studio album, Moon & Stars, in 2024. Between that and their debut, the band earned a Grammy Award, two Country Music Association Awards, and three Academy of Country Music Awards.

Raul has won a BMI Songwriting Award, for Everything You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down, and has been nominated for several solo Grammy Awards, including one for his album Lucky One and another for his work with the Latin supergroup Los Super Seven.

He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Betty. sons Dino, Victor and Max, mother Norma and sister Carol, and Mavericks bandmates Paul Deakin, Eddie Perez and Jerry Dale McFadden.