R.I.P. Freddy Fender

UPDATE: The San Antonio Express-News posts an obituary of Freddy Fender (see also the discography (scroll down) and this story from 1993 on one of the SAEN's blogs, and reader comments); The Monitor's Andres R. Martinez interviews local music personalities about the musician; and the Valley Morning Star's Bruce Lee Smith has a story as well.

South Texas music legend Freddy Fender died today in Corpus Christi at age 69. From the Associated Press article:

Fender, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in early 2006, died at noon at his Corpus Christi home with his family at his bedside, said Ron Rogers, a family spokesman. ...

"I feel very comfortable in my life," Fender told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times in August. "I'm one year away from 70 and I've had a good run. I really believe I'm OK. In my mind and in my heart, I feel OK. I cannot complain that I haven't lived long enough, but I'd like to live longer."

Fender, who was born in San Benito, leaves a great musical legacy not just for the Valley, but for the world. Austin American-Statesman music writer Michael Corcoran provides a more detailed obituary. You can read more about the musician in blog posts here, here, here, and here, and see a pic of him from the 1996 SXSW show. Oh, and I had forgotten that Freddy played a role in The Milagro Beanfield War.