Paco Silva, leader and founder of La Tropa Colombiana, died early Sunday morning in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, from a sudden heart attack. The band confirmed the news on Facebook, with his wake underway in the city before transfer to Monterrey. The musician was preparing for a charity event when he fell ill.
La Tropa Colombiana announced on Facebook: “With deep pain and great sadness we inform you that today around 1:00 a.m. in the city of Nuevo Laredo our leader and founder passed away… He leaves us a great legacy in music and a great school, safe journey Paco and someday we will meet again”.
His representative, Adrián García, told local media that Paco Silva suffered a sudden heart attack while buying supplies with his wife for a charity event for children with autism scheduled for Tuesday, April 14. “He started feeling bad and they took him to the hospital and he went in a wheelchair, but it got complicated,” he said. The hospital found water in his lungs, but nothing could be done; he ruled out any link to his prior neuropathy.
Francisco Javier Silva Torres, from Monterrey, Nuevo León, founded La Tropa Colombiana in 1984 and popularized hits like 'Los caminos de la vida', 'Las Chiquillas', and 'Tina'. He collaborated with Celso Piña in La Ronda Bogotá and recently planned work with El Gran Silencio. “Colombian music lasts for centuries,” he said last year.
The wake is in Nuevo Laredo, with transfer to Monterrey this afternoon, where he grew up in the Independencia neighborhood. He is survived by wife Laura Reyna and four children.
