Felipe Staiti, guitarist and founding member of Enanitos Verdes, has died. He was 64.
The seminal Argentine rock band’s official X account confirmed his death on Tuesday.
“His music, his dedication, and his story remain forever with us and with all those who accompanied him throughout these years,” read a statement posted on X.
Staiti died Monday due to health complications following his hospitalization in the Argentine city of Mendoza, per the national news outlet Los Andes.
Born in the province of Mendoza in 1961, Staiti was an original member of Enanitos Verdes, which formed in 1979 with lead vocalist and bassist Marciano Cantero and drummer Daniel Piccolo. The band later added guitarist and vocalist Sergio Embrioni and keyboardist Tito Dávila.
With beloved hits such as “Lamento Boliviano” and “La Muralla Verde,” the band was part of the Latin America rock scene that rose to global popularity in the 1990s. As of March 31, its classic soft rock ballad “Lamento Boliviano” about emotional anguish entered the Spotify Billions club, surpassing the 1 billion streams threshold on the platform.
In 1997, following the release of its eighth studio album, “Guerra Gaucha” — which marked the band’s shift into more social and political themes — former Los Angeles Times reporter Enrique Lavin called Enanitos Verdes a “perennial presence on the Southern California rock en español scene.”
Following the 2022 death of longtime band member Cantero, who died in September 2022 due to kidney complications, Staiti picked up Cantero’s responsibilities as lead vocalist, performing live for the first time that December at the Bésame Mucho Festival at Dodger Stadium.
According to Los Andes, Staiti had long suffered from health issues in the years preceding his death. He contracted a bacterial infection in Mexico in late 2024, which combined with his celiac disease triggered severe dehydration that resulted in a monthlong stay at the hospital. This led to severe weight loss, which affected his vocal muscles and resulted in the cancellation of several performances across South America.
In 2025, Enanitos Verdes joined forces with Hombres G for their “Huevos Revuletos Tour,” stopping in various cities across California, including the Yaamava’ Theater in Highland, the SAP Center in San Jose and the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Enanitos Verdes are currently still scheduled to perform at the Toyota Arena in Ontario on May 26.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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