Roberto Cantoral

Roberto Cantoral Garcia was born on 7 June 1935 in Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas. Cantoral moved to Mexico City to attend college but dropped out to become a band leader. ==Career==

1950–1960 In 1950, Cantoral formed the Hermanos Cantoral () with Antonio Cantoral. 1960–1980 In 1960, Cantoral went solo and achieved international fame for "", "", "", and "". In 1970, he wrote the ballad "" for José José. As a songwriter, he won in 1972 the 1st Mexican national selection for the OTI Festival with the song "", which was disqualified at the OTI Festival 1972 for its lyrics; and in 1974, he won the 3rd national selection with "Quijote", which represented Mexico in the OTI Festival 1974 placing tenth. Cantoral donated the proceeds from "" to worldwide children institutions such as UNICEF and his song, "" was broadcast "three consecutive years at the Vatican". Cantoral composed themes for telenovelas such as , , and . 1980–2000 In 1982, Cantoral was elected as Sociedad de Autores y Compositores de México's Chairman of the Board for his first term. ==Awards==

During his lifetime, Cantoral received many awards. He received medals of merit from Adolfo López Mateos and Josip Broz Tito. ==Personal life==

Cantoral resided in Rancho Viejo, Texas, just across the border from Mexico. ==Death ==

In 2010, 75-year old Cantoral died after suffering a heart attack on a flight from Brownsville, Texas, to Ciudad de México. The plane made an emergency landing in Toluca, Mexico, where Cantoral was pronounced dead. His body was placed on public view at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. Cantoral's ashes were scattered in his hometown, Tampico, Tamaulipas ==Tribute==

On June 7, 2021, Google celebrated his 85th birthday with a Google Doodle. ==References==