Raul Malo’s death this week has left music fans heartbroken, but it turns out The Mavericks frontman had one final message for everyone.
Malo, 60, died on Dec. 8 after a battle with stage 4 colon cancer and leptomeningeal disease. His death came just days after his group hosted a two-night show honoring him on Dec. 5-6 at the Ryman Auditorium.
Malo was slated to be in attendance for the shows, but he was rushed to the hospital on the eve of it all and did not make it out before his death.
But, according to Rolling Stone, Malo received the American Eagle Award for his “lifelong commitment to the preservation of the multilingual American music repertoire,” at the mid-point of Friday’s show and he sent a letter to be read to fans.
“Music has been the guiding force of my entire life,” he wrote. “It carried me from my Cuban American childhood in Miami to stages across the world. It introduced me to my brothers, The Mavericks. It gave me a home in Nashville, Tennessee. It allowed me to raise my three incredible sons, Dino, Vincent, and Max, who are my greatest pride and joy. And it connected me to you fans whose love has sustained me through every chapter of this journey. This award is not just about accomplishments; it is about commitment. The commitment to creativity, to education, to keeping music alive in the hearts of people everywhere.
“I’ve always believed that music is one of the most powerful bridges we have,” he continued. “It crosses cultures, politics, (And God, don’t we need that right now?) languages, and sometimes pain. In these past months, I’ve had to fight battles I’ve never imagined. But on the hardest of days, music remained my companion. Your letters, your stories of how a song helped you through loss, heartbreak, joy, those became our songs. You all carried me more than you know. To my family band, the National Music Council, my musica collaborators, and every fan around he world: Thank you for giving my voice a place to live, even when my body cannot be the one delivering it. I accept this award with profound gratitude and with the hope that the music we create continues to inspire, to heal and bring people together.”
Malo’s wife announced his death on Tuesday.
“At 8:52 pm on December 8th, 2025, my love … our boys’ father .. a devoted son and brother … and a friend to so many, gained his angel wings,” she wrote. “He was called to do another gig — this time in the sky — and he’s flying high like an eagle.
“No one embodied life and love, joy and passion, family and friends, music, and adventure the way our beloved Raul did,” she added. “Now he will look down on us with all that heaven will allow, lighting the way and reminding us to savor every moment. Dino, Victor, Max and I — along with our entire family — thank all of you for your love and support through all of this. We felt every bit of it. In Raul’s own words: ‘Muchisimas gracias.”
The Mavericks also shared an Instagram post about the singer’s death.
“It’s with the deepest grief we share the passing of our friend, bandmate and brother Raul Malo on December 8th, 2025 at the age of 60,” the statement read. “Anyone with the pleasure of being in Raul’s orbit knew that he was a force of human nature, with an infectious energy. Over a career of more than three decades entertaining millions around the globe, his towering creative contributions and unrivaled, generational talent created the kind of multicultural American music reaching far beyond America itself.”
“Though his earthly body may have passed, Raul’s spirit will live on forever in heaven, and here on earth through the music, joy, and light he brought forth,” the statement added. “His contributions to American and Latin music will be everlasting, as his songs and voice touched fans and fellow artists around the world.”
The singer announced last year that he had stage 4 colon cancer, and he shared his battle against the disease openly with fans. And, at times this year, it was a disease he appeared poised to put behind him, but in September he made the heartbreaking announcement that he had been diagnosed with leptomeningeal disease.
“Dear Friends, I want to update you all on my health, as things have taken a turn,” he wrote on Facebook. “As it goes with cancer, it’s a very unpredictable and indiscriminatory disease. I’ve developed something called LMD, which stands for ‘get this (expletive) out of my head.’ Treatment for this is radiation, which I will start tomorrow. We will probably jump into some chemo and are even looking at alternative therapies. But it’s time to take to heart your words of resting & recovering, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
According to the Cleveland Clinic, leptomeningeal disease is cancer in the cerebrospinal fluid and leptomeninges, which are membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. There is no cure for the disease. Instead, doctors focus on trying to slow the disease from spreading while maintaining the patient’s quality of life.
Despite the ominous diagnosis, Malo continued to fight, and in November he headed to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Texas for treatment. But last Thursday his wife, Betty Malo, announced that he had to be rushed to the hospital. He sadly was never able to recover.
The singer is survived by Betty, sons Dino, Victor and Max, his mother, Norma and sister Carol.
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