Rumors that Juan Gabriel is still alive were revived this week when the legendary singer’s former manager offered what he said was new evidence that Gabriel had faked his death.
Last week, a rumor surfaced that Juan Gabriel was not actually dead and had, in fact, only pretended to die in 2016. As TMZ reported, the claim originated with a man named Joaquin Munoz, who identified himself as Gabriel’s former manager, but family members say Munoz was only a longtime friend of the singer.
The claim was vehemently denied by Gabriel’s family including his son, Ivan Aguilera, who served as Gabriel’s real manager for the last eight years of his life. Aguilera told TMZ that Munoz’s claim was baseless and that his father had indeed died of heart failure more than two years ago.
Still, the rumor that Juan Gabriel was not actually dead managed to pick up steam on social media before many accepted that it wasn’t true. Many fans reacted with excitement with the idea that he could still be alive and planning a public comeback for December, as Munoz claimed, while others said it was a hoax that demeaned his memory.
Manager claims Mexican pop star Juan Gabriel faked death, will return in December https://t.co/321BSxPk8J pic.twitter.com/oWlvFo3xuZ
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) November 11, 2018
But Munoz is back, making a new claim and presenting what he says is evidence that Gabriel has been alive the whole time. As Peru 21 reported, Munoz held a press conference and shared audio he said showed Gabriel congratulating him on publishing his book — which was not written until after Gabriel’s death.
“Joaquín, I want to wish you much success in presenting your book this afternoon with a lot of love and respect. The best of my desires,” he reportedly said in a version translated from the Peru 21 story.
The renewed claim will likely not sit well with Juan Gabriel’s family members, who have said that Munoz is only trying to use the singer’s death to bring attention to the book he wrote. As TMZ reported, family members have previously threatened to sue Munoz, but it doesn’t seem to have pushed him off the claim that Gabriel is still alive. Munoz has also continued to gain media attention for his claims, including the release of the alleged audio.
But there is still plenty of doubt to the rumor that Juan Gabriel faked his death. In reporting on the story, TMZ was able to actually obtain the singer’s death certificate, which listed his cause of death as arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.