Remembering 2025’s Music Losses: Johnny Rodriguez

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Yes, Linda, you knew your luck would run out sooner or later. It’s time for the spotlight to shine on a country singer who passed away in 2025. He was a trailblazer and he’s fondly remembered from the 1970s. Johnny Rodriguez 2025 was brutal to Latino country music stars. In December, The Mavericks’ front man Raul Malo died. While Malo was one of a number of country singers with Mexican roots, the first Latino star in country music was Johnny Rodriguez. Rodriguez rose to prominence in 1973 with a string of hits. They included one of the hit versions of the Eagles’ “Desperado.” (For all of that song’s popularity and legendary status, the Eagles’ version was never released as a single!) And, of course, as happens to everyone, he eventually faded into the background. In 1998 Rodriguez was charged with murder after he shot someone in his home who he stated he mistook for a burglar. He was acquitted. Rodriguez died in May shortly after entering hospice care. He’s fondly remembered for his contributions to the sound of 1970s country music. Johnny Rodriguez Born Juan Raoul Davis Rodriguez, December 10, 1951, Sanibal, Texas Died May 9, 2025, San Antonio, Texas (cancer) (age 73) Johnny’s fabulous cover of Lefty Frizzell’s song “That’s the Way Love Goes”: