Charlie Amarante, who was the main vocalist of the Luis Ovalles Orchestra, passed away last Sunday night at Moca.
The sad news was confirmed to Listín Diario Luis Ovalles: “He died last night (Sunday) according to his sister, who lives in Moca” (a municipality in the province of Espàillat in the north of the Dominican Republic).
Charlie, nicknamed “Chelo”, was part of the Maestro Luís Ovalles Orchestra for many years and in his voice the songs “Se fue la luz”, “La fosforera”, “Se sinde el barco”, “The funnel law ”,“ The vagabundo ”, among others that today are meringue classics.
“Charlie was a brother, I gave him all the issues that had a certain relevance. I put him as the main vocalist because his loyalty was with me all the time “, recalled Ovalles, who left for the funeral in Moca on Monday morning.
Amarante, who happened to live in Moca, spent the last few years fighting alcoholism.
“Alcohol was his addiction, I could never control it, no one could. I admitted him to a health center, I looked for a psychiatrist to treat him. Luis Montalvo assisted and even he couldn’t. Then he went to Moca, where I arranged his house, but he continued to drink, “said Luis Ovalles.
A few years ago, Amarante was rescued from the clutches of alcohol by the then Minister of Education, Carlos Amarante Baret, who took him through a detoxification process and later hired him in the security zone of a school in Santo Domingo.
However, when he returned to Moca, he could not control his alcohol consumption and, despite the fact that his family was always in his care, it was difficult for him to control his alcohol.