The Mavericks Lead Singer Raul Malo Dead at 60 After Cancer Battle

Raul Malo, whose operatic, lush lead vocals led the eclectic musical group The Mavericks, died Monday (Dec. 8) at age 60 following a battle with cancer.

“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,” Betty Malo, the musician’s wife, wrote in a statement posted on Malo’s official Facebook page Tuesday (Dec. 9). “He was called to do another gig — this time in the sky — and he’s flying high like an eagle. No one embodied life and love, joy and passion, family, friends, music, and adventure the way our beloved Raul did. Now he will look down on us with all that heaven will allow, lighting the way and reminding us to savor every moment. Dino, Victor, Max and I — along with our entire family — thank all of you for your love and support through all of this. We felt every bit of it.In Raul’s own words: ‘Muchísimas gracias.’”

The Mavericks posted on the group’s official Facebook page, writing, “It’s with the deepest grief we share the passing of our friend, bandmate and brother Raul Malo on December 8th, 2025 at the age of 60.”

The statement continued: “Anyone with the pleasure of being in Raul’s orbit knew that he was a force of human nature, with an infectious energy. Over a career of more than three decades entertaining millions around the globe, his towering creative contributions and unrivaled, generational talent created the kind of multicultural American music reaching far beyond America itself.

“While his spirited performances garnered a massive & loyal following, and his powerful songwriting and musicianship earned multiple Grammy, ACM, and CMA awards, it was his lifelong commitment to the preservation of the multi-lingual American musical repertoire of which he was most proud, making history in 2020 with the first album ever to debut at the top of both the Latin Pop and Folk-Americana charts,” the group said before concluding, “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. His contributions to American and Latin music will be everlasting, as his songs and voice touched fans and fellow artists around the world.”

In June 2024, Malo, whose rich, pure voice drew comparisons to Roy Orbison’s crystalline tone, revealed that he had been diagnosed with colon cancer, though the band continued to tour with Dwight Yoakam through his treatments. However, this year, they had to cancel tour dates due to his health battle, and the cancer then spread to his brain. On Dec. 5 and 6, many of Malo’s friends and musical colleagues — including Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Jeff Hanna — gathered for two shows at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium to celebrate Malo and the band’s indelible contributions to music. Malo had been hospitalized on Dec. 4 and was unable to attend.

As Betty Malo chronicled on social media, Malo’s last few months were filled with music, as friends, colleagues and fellow musicians would drop by the house to play music with Malo and then for him as his condition deteriorated. He reunited with former Mavericks cofounder Robert Reynolds, who was dismissed from the band in 2014, as well as Thomas Anthony, his bandmate in the Tomboys, Malo’s teenage band before the Mavericks.

Malo, a first-generation Cuban-American, was born in Miami in 1965. Malo, who had a reverence for crooners like Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, often covering them as he got older, grew up in a bilingual household, and soaked in sounds of jazz, pop, country, Latin music and rock. Through the decades, the band’s music would draw upon that array of sounds to create their own musical hybrid.

The Mavericks originated in Miami, before music exec Tony Brown signed the group to MCA in 1991. The band released its MCA debut album From Hell to Paradise in 1992, followed by the project What a Crying Shame, which was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album was propelled by “What a Crying Shame,” “Oh, What a Thrill” and “There Goes My Heart,” all of which charted in the 20s on Billboard Hot Country Songs.

“To my brother, Raul! From the very beginning, I always felt a kindred spirit with the music that we both loved and our foundational punk rock attitude toward the industry,” said Big Machine Label Group founder/CEO Scott Borchetta in a statement to Billboard. Borchetta worked with the band from its early days at MCA as a promotion executive, and later signed them to BMLG’s Valory imprint. “[Raul] was the ultimate rock star and he did it his way. I am forever grateful and proud of what we did together. He was a generational talent.”

The Mavericks won a Grammy for best country performance by a duo or group with vocals for its hit “Here Comes the Rain,” and earned eight Grammy nominations. In 1995 and 1996, the band was named the CMA’s vocal group of the year.

The group was both a critical and commercial success, though mainstream radio programmers didn’t always seem to know how to deal with its melange of musical styles. The Mavericks’ highest charting single was the rollicking “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down” (featuring Flaco Jiménez), which reached No. 13 on Billboard‘s Top Country Songs chart in 1996.

Instead, the band built its devoted following mainly from its live shows, which were boisterous, sweat-soaked rowdy affairs with stellar musicianship on display surrounding Malo’s otherworldly vocals.

“Raul was a force on stage with the voice of both an angel and a tiger,” Austin City Limits executive producer Terry Lickona tells Billboard. “The Mavericks first appeared on ACL 30 years ago, did one of our only pandemic shows — without an audience — and kicked off our 50th anniversary special last year.”

In the 2000s, The Mavericks went on hiatus, but Malo continued creating music, including solo albums and work with the group Los Super Seven.

The Mavericks reunited in 2012 and released the album In Time. In 2015, it was named duo/group of the year at the Americana Music Honors & Awards. The Mavericks continued exploring new creative spaces. In 2020, the band recorded an album entirely in Spanish, as the group reimagined traditional songs from Latin America songs on En Español. Its most recent release, 2024’s Moon & Stars, featured appearances from Sierra Ferrell, Maggie Rose, Nicole Atkins and Max Abrams.

Tributes from his fellow artists have been pouring in. Otto posted on social media, “RIP Maestro. I wish you could have made it to the Ryman show to witness the tremendous outpouring of love from your friends and fans. Raul left behind a loving family and a decades long musical legacy of excellence. Please say a prayer for him & the whole Malo family.”

Producer Shooter Jennings posted on X, “Rest in peace Raul Malo! I loved the Mavericks. We got to hang many times and I used to tell him how much I went crazy for his version of ‘Us and Them.’ A performer and craftsman of the highest order.”

Country singer Randy Houser added, “I remember lying in my dorm in Mississippi listening to the Mavericks and just blown away by [Malo’s] beautiful, God-given voice. He truly was an inspiration.”

Malo is survived by his wife of 34 years, Betty, as well as sons Dino, Victor and Max; his mother, Norma; sister Carol; and Mavericks bandmates Paul Deakin, Eddie Perez and Jerry Dale McFadden.