Mavericks frontman Raul Malo dies at 60 after battle with cancer

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

Raul Malo, who as frontman of the Mavericks brought a Latin rhythmic flair and a sweeping sense of romance to country music, died on Monday.He was 60.His death was announced by the band in an Instagram post that didn’t specify the cause or say where Malo died.

Last year, the singer told fans that he had been diagnosed with cancer; in September, Malo wrote on Facebook that he had developed leptomeningeal disease — a condition in which cancer metastasizes to the membranes around the brain and spinal cord — and was calling off the group’s upcoming concerts.This past weekend, bandmates Paul Deakin, Eddie Perez and Jerry Dale McFadden performed with a cast of friends and admirers at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium to mark the Mavericks’ 35th anniversary.Among the acts who paid tribute were Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Patty Griffin and Marty Stuart.Their sound built around Malo’s muscular baritone, the Mavericks broke out in the 1990s with an expansive style of country music that pulled from big-band pop, ’50s-era rock and the Cuban music Malo heard growing up in Miami as the son of Cuban immigrants.

As a singer, Malo was frequently compared to Roy Orbison; in 2001, he told The Times about his love for Tony Bennett.The Mavericks released their self-titled debut album in 1990 and were quickly signed by MCA Nashville, which put out “From Hell to Paradise” in 1992.(The album’s title track was Malo’s description of his parents’ journey to America.) The band’s next LP, 1994’s “What a Crying Shame,” went platinum and spun off a series of hit country singles including the title track, “O What a Thrill” and “There Goes My Heart.” The next year the band recorded a cover of Rodgers & Hart’s “Blue Moon” for the soundtrack of Ron Howard’s Oscar-winning movie “Apollo 13.”In 1996, the Mavericks won a Grammy Award for “Here Comes the Rain,...