LOS ANGELES - Mexican superstar Juan Gabriel, the bigger-than-life performer who at 66 years old revamped his career in spectacular fashion, has died unexpectedly.

Gabriel was in the midst of the U.S. leg of his MeXXico Es Todos tour, a 22-city arena trek that had him playing in 360-degree stages to accommodate sold-out crowds.

On Sunday morning, sources close to him said, he was in Los Angeles, where had played The Forum on Friday night. As he readied to go to the airport to fly to El Paso, Texas, the next stop on his tour, he suffered a massive heart attack.

At the time of his death, Gabriel, already one of Latin music’s biggest superstars, was arguably at the apex of his career, despite his age.

He ranked at No. 18 on Billboard’s 2015 Money Makers list (just below Ed Sheeran and just above Florida Georgia Line), largely thanks to his $11.6 million in-touring revenue in 2015. He scored the year’s highest-grossing Latin tour and had the top-selling Latin album too, Los Duo, which has moved 131,000 units, according to Nielsen Music.

Just last week, his new album, Vestido de Etiqueta: Por Eduardo Magallanes, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart. (Source: Hollywood Reporter)

Story Date: September 1, 2016