“I am aware that I am a rooster for history,” he assured in October 2019 until Spokesman singer Tito Rojas, whose remains will be exhibited at the Marcelo Trujillo Panisse Coliseum in his hometown of Humacao, possibly from tomorrow until Wednesday.
Julio César Rojas López, his first name, died suddenly on December 26, at the age of 65, at the residence of some cousins in that municipality.
Rojas’ body was to be collected yesterday afternoon by the funeral home of the Institute of Legal Sciences. The time of awakening will be set today, in a meeting that the municipality will hold in the morning with the family of the so-called Gallo salsa.
“The war will be open to the public, with due physical distance and restrictions on Covid-19. The audience will come and go, they can’t stay (in the coliseum). So far we are talking about this, we will see if this is what his family wants, “said Daphne D. Flores, communications adviser to Humacaeño Mayor Luis Raúl Sánchez Hernández, who decreed five days of mourning to end on Wednesday.
On the other hand, according to the promoter and his friend of almost three decades, Ángel Ilarraza, Tito was heart-sick, and his brother died due to this state of health.
“She saw her mother in the Texas neighborhood. His cousins live on the same street, he went to their house, he started to feel bad and when he went out on the balcony he collapsed “, he explained Spokesman.
It is worth mentioning that, on December 24, Tito released on his YouTube channel the Christmas special Canta Gallo, canta en Navidad, performing songs from his 20-year-old album entitled Canta Gallo, canta.
About its beginnings
The artist had a 48-year artistic career and, as Ilarraza remembers, began his career in music at the age of 17.
“He started with Pedro Conga and the Orquesta Internacional, with which he recorded his first album. He later joined Justo Betancourt and El Conjunto Borincuba. When Justo left for New York, Tito stayed with the band and formed Conjunto Borincano. From there he left for Puerto Rican Power and then as a soloist with Music Production – between 1991 and 1992 – until 2008 when he left independently, which formed his TR Records label, “said the promoter.
Rojas’ most recent song was El pasito cann tun, with Billo’s Caracas Boys, which he had never heard on Puerto Rican radio. Prior to that he performed Por la calle del medio with Gilberto Santa Rosa for his album Colegas.
In his words
In August 2015, Tito spoke with Spokesman about his artistic and musical evolution, which he attributed to his tenacity through thick and thin.
“This was my total evolution, to be persistent in this race, not to give up, not to give my arm a twist and without conditions to continue to function,” he said.
He also stated that he will not change anything in his life or career because “I wanted this and it touched me. I have to accept things as they are, sometimes they try to change or if I change I’m not the rooster and that kept me firm. I feel more mature from a musical point of view, although one is getting older, which is natural because I am 60 years old ”.
Four years later, in October 2019, he responded to this newspaper how he wants to be recognized in the history of salsa, because he had just launched the record production Un gallo para la historia (nominated for the Latin Grammy 2020).
“I don’t miss it at all, you have to ask people, idols, Marc Anthony, India and they will tell you, ‘El Gallo es el Gallo.’ To make such a title you have to have pants, no one can make a title like that. I am aware that I am a rooster for history “, he stated with his characteristic humor.
Rojas is survived by his wife Ivelisse Escobar, his daughters Jessica and Kisha and his grandchildren Briana, Julián and Amanda.