MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Indio Solari, towering figure of Argentine rock, dies at 77; wake set for Sunday

Born in Paraná in 1949, Solari built his career from La Plata, where, alongside guitarist Skay Beilinson and producer Carmen “Negra Poli” Castro, he led the Redonditos de Ricota

Carlos Alberto “Indio” Solari, one of the most influential figures in the history of Argentine rock and the frontman of Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota, died on Friday at the age of 77 at his home in Parque Leloir, in the Buenos Aires district of Ituzaingó. His death set off a wave of spontaneous tributes across the country, and his family announced that his wake will be held on Sunday.

According to the preliminary autopsy, the musician suffered a hemorrhagic stroke in the early hours of Friday, linked to the illness he had. The Ituzaingó prosecutor's office, led by Lucio Rivero, opened a routine inquiry to establish the cause of death and specified that there had been no drowning, even though the singer was in the heated indoor pool at his home, where his caregiver found him. Solari had Parkinson's disease —which he disclosed in 2016— and had withdrawn from the stage; his last public appearance was in January, through a message after receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Buenos Aires.

Born in Paraná in 1949, Solari built his career from La Plata, where, alongside guitarist Skay Beilinson and producer Carmen “Negra Poli” Castro, he led the Redonditos de Ricota. The band made self-management its hallmark and went from small pubs to filling stadiums, with albums such as Oktubre that shaped several generations, before splitting in 2001. In his solo career, fronting Los Fundamentalistas del Aire Acondicionado, Solari drew crowds at some of the largest concerts in the country.

The news mobilized fans of all ages. In Plaza de Mayo, in Buenos Aires, and in central squares of cities across the country —among them La Plata, Rosario, Córdoba, Mar del Plata, his native Paraná, Comodoro Rivadavia, Mendoza, Neuquén and Bariloche— thousands of people gathered spontaneously to sing his songs in what are known as “misas ricoteras.” In La Plata, the city where the band was formed, municipal authorities declared three days of mourning. The concert that Los Fundamentalistas had scheduled for Saturday in Comodoro Rivadavia went ahead and was streamed online.

In a statement released on Friday night, the artist's circle asked that the privacy of the family farewell be respected and announced that the public wake will take place on Sunday, June 7, at a location and time yet to be confirmed. “Let us mourn as we should, listen to his songs and, above all, take care of one another, as he taught us,” those close to him said.