Legendary Mexican singer, songwriter, composer, and Grammy Award winner Armando Manzanero, whose works became part of the soundtracks of many television shows and films–including a few in Hollywood, died Dec. 28 due to COVID-19 complications.

Manzanero 85, was considered among the greatest and most prolific romantic composers with more than 400 songs under his belt, including the world-famous Adoro, No Sé Tú, and Somos Novios.  The latter was recorded in English under the title It’s Impossible by Perry Cuomo, reaching the Top Ten in the U.S. It was also recorded by singers like Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Andrea Bocelli, and Christina Aguilera. 

Singers who recorded the Spanish Somos Novios include Vikki Carr and Luis Miguel.

Manzanero’s music was featured in nearly 100 TV series and films, according to the trade website IMDb.com, which lists projects in Mexico, other Spanish-speaking countries,  Europe, and the U.S.  

He is credited as one of several writers of Impossible, a song recorded by rapper Kanye West for the blockbuster film Mission Impossible: III.  The series The Sopranos and the film Speechless also featured Manzanero’s music.

The singer/composer was nominated twice to the Ariel Awards, Mexico’s equivalent of the Oscars, for the best theme songs for the films Alta Tensión and Juego Limpio.

His original Spanish-language version of Somos Novios was inducted into the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. Manzanero received both the Latin Grammy Lifetime Award in 2010 and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.

Top Featured Photo: Armando Manzanero during a concert in Cehegín, Spain, in September of 2010. (Photo: Angel Abril Ruiz, Flicker/Wikipedia)

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