Víctor Coyote, Spanish rock-Latin fusion pioneer and Los Coyotes founder, dies at 68 in Segovia

Death in Segovia

Víctor Aparicio Abundancia, known artistically as Víctor Coyote, died on Thursday, 13 August 2026, in circumstances that remain unexplained. Coyote had traveled to Segovia to observe the solar eclipse and went cycling early in the morning, according to La Vanguardia. He was found semi-conscious beside his bicycle in Marugán, a municipality in the province of Segovia. Emergency services mobilized a helicopter, but could not save him. His body was transferred to Segovia for an autopsy. Most sources report his age as 68, though El Mundo and 20 minutos cite 67. His record label, El Volcán, confirmed the death in a statement carried by Europa Press. The cause of death remains unknown. La Vanguardia noted the coincidence with the title of Juan Antonio Bardem's film "Muerte de un ciclista", a work Coyote himself cited when discussing how art under the Franco regime found ways around censorship.

A pioneer of Latin rock

Born in Tui, Pontevedra, in 1958, Coyote founded Los Coyotes around 1979, initially rooted in rockabilly, psychobilly and punk. The band became a reference point of the Movida, the cultural movement that swept Spain in the 1980s, though Coyote resisted the role of official representative of either the Vigo or Madrid scenes. His decisive contribution was to open Spanish rock to Latin American rhythms. The 1985 album "Mujer y sentimiento" brought salsa and other Latin genres into the band's sound, a move that was pioneering and, at the time, disconcerting to critics and followers. Subsequent albums included "Las calientes noches del barrio" (1987), "De color de rosa" (1988), "Puro semental" (1989, dated 1990 by El Mundo), and "Tocando sus éxitos" (1991). RTVE and El Confidencial also list an album titled "Las calaveras" (1988). Songs such as "Esta noche me voy a bailar", "Cien guitarras" and "300 kilos" became his most recognized work. The group dissolved in the early 1990s.

Solo career and artistic range

After the band's dissolution, Coyote pursued a solo career that moved through funk, electronica, cumbia, bachata, Brazilian rhythms and flamenco. He described his musical identity with characteristic humor.

Musicalmente me siento entre Marc Anthony y Tom Waits.

Beyond music, Coyote worked as a graphic designer, painter, illustrator, comic author, writer, and director of video clips and documentaries. Friends remembered him as a person of enormous warmth beneath an initially gruff exterior, a man of insatiable curiosity whom one colleague described as having a Renaissance vocation. He was known for long walks along the Miño river and cycling. His label, El Volcán, paid tribute on Instagram.

Una persona y un artista único e irrepetible, de esos seres que nunca miraban hacia atrás y siempre miraban hacia delante. Todo lo bueno está por venir.

This year saw the release of "El Propio", a compilation of his solo work on El Volcán that included a new track, "Así me tratan ahora". He performed a month ago at the Sierra de Sones festival.