Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de León called Wednesday for the city to rename a Boyle Heights street, east of Mariachi Plaza, after beloved Mexican singer Vicente “Chente” Fernandez, who died at the age of 81 on Dec. 12.
De León introduced a motion during Thursday’s City Council meeting which, if approved, would begin the process of having Bailey Street, from First Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, changed to “Vicente Fernandez Street.”
The councilman called Fernandez a “cultural icon” on Wednesday, adding that his “music and talent impacted generations of Latinos, not only in his native homeland of Mexico, but across the globe.”
During his more than six decades playing music, Fernandez was recognized with three Grammy Awards, nine Latin Grammy Awards and 14 Lo Nuestro Awards. He also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and sold more than 50 million copies of his albums worldwide.
“He is one of the best selling Mexican artists, one of the best artists of all time, period. His legacy is not only the music that he made, but the memories that we all were able to make listening to the music he created and shared with us,” De León said Wednesday during the City Council meeting.
Fernandez retired from the stage in 2016. He died in December in Guadalajara, Mexico, where he was also born. His death followed months of health issues and an August injury at his ranch in Guadalajara.
