Tejano icon Emilio Navaira dead at 53
HOUSTON - Tejano and country musician icon Emilio Navaira, 53, was found dead at his Texas home Monday evening, according to police.
According to New Braunfels Police, family members found Navaira unconscious and not breathing. He was rushed to the hospital where he was then pronounced dead.
A preliminary investigation indicates his death was natural, but an investigation is underway by the medical examiner.
The award-winning singer was widely credited with introducing Tejano music into the mainstream in the 1990s. He became one of Tejano's biggest stars during that time, alongside Selena and La Mafia.
Many fans took to Twitter and Facebook to thank him for "inspiring" youth to achieve their dreams.
According to MTV.com, it was 1988 when he formed his own group, Rio, and signed a recording contract with CBS Records. The group's debut album was nominated for a 1989 Grammy Award in the category of Best Mexican-American Performance, ultimately losing to Los Lobos' La Pistola y el Corazon.
At the 1990 Tejano Music Awards, he won Conjunto Album of the Year and Most Promising Band of the Year. Navaira's second album, Sensaciones, also won Album of the Year at the Tejano Music Awards.
Navaira was the last Tejano act to play at Rodeo Houston back in 2007 in front of a crowd of nearly 70,000 fans.
One year after that, he nearly died when his tour bus crashed in Houston. The 2008 crash made headlines as Navaira was behind the wheel and was ejected through the windshield. He later made a full recovery and pleaded guilty to a drunken driving charge.