Raul Malo, captivating frontman of the genre-melding band The Mavericks, has died. He was 60 years old. The news was announced to the public this morning (Dec. 9) via social media posts shared across the band and Malo’s personal accounts.
“At 8:52 pm on December 8th, 2025, my love… our boys’ father… a devoted son and brother… and a friend to so many, gained his angel wings,” reads an emotional Instagram post written by Malo’s wife of 34 years, Betty, on Tuesday morning. “He was called to do another gig — this time in the sky — and he’s flying high like an eagle.”
In June 2024, Malo shared he was receiving treatment for colon cancer and openly documented his experiences with the disease via social media. Earlier this year, The Mavericks were forced to drop out of The Cosmic Roundup & Rodeo, a co-headlining tour with Dwight Yoakam, following Malo’s diagnosis of leptomeningeal disease. The rare condition, also known as LMD, occurs when cancer cells spread to membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
Born on August 7, 1965, Raul Francisco Martínez-Malo Jr. was raised by parents who had immigrated from Cuba to his hometown of Miami, where he formed The Mavericks with guitarist Robert Reynolds in 1989. Shortly after the band inked a major-label record deal with MCA Nashville, Malo relocated to Nashville in the early 1990s, where he lived until his death. Over the years, The Mavericks released 12 studio albums, took 15 singles onto the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and earned a Grammy Award, along with multiple Country Music Association Awards and Academy of Country Music Awards.
“Though his earthly body may have passed, Raul’s spirit will live on forever in heaven, and here on earth through the music, joy, and light he brought forth,” a post on The Mavericks’ official Instagram account reads. “His contributions to American and Latin music will be everlasting, as his songs and voice touched fans and fellow artists around the world.”
The family has shared their thanks for the public’s love and support and asks for privacy at this time. Malo is survived by his wife, Betty; his sons Dino, Victor, and Max; his mother, Norma; his sister, Carol; and his longtime bandmates of The Mavericks, Paul Deakin, Eddie Perez, and Jerry Dale McFadden.
