The essential ballads of Armando Manzanero

Armando Manzanero, on January 23, 2015, during a concert in Mexico City.Álex Cruz / EFE

The death of Armando Manzanero, a Mexican singer and composer and a true ballad myth throughout Latin America, shocked hundreds of thousands of followers today.

On social media, fans share the extraordinary musical legacy that the creator, who died at the age of 85, leaves behind after a long career and some 20 albums.

Here we review some of his most famous songs.

He composed more than 400 songs.

But when, in interviews, Armando Manzanero was asked about his favorite, he used to be very clear:

Here is one of his best known and most applauded songs, which won him the triumph at the Miami song festival in 1965 and which he himself considered as the demonstration that he had reached musical maturity.

This afternoon I saw it rain

was one of Manzanero's first hits and has been covered by dozens of artists, from Tony Bennett –with the name

to Alejandro Sanz on his album

.

The composition was declared in 2015 by

magazine

the best Latin music song made between 1920 and 2015. Leila Cabos, director of Latin content at

time, declared that the song “manages to touch all the emotional fibers of the listener with only eleven words ”.

Recorded in 1968,

is another of Armando Manzanero's fundamental songs.

The theme also served as the title of the 1969 film of the same name, starring the Mexican musician himself.

Almost immediately,

was translated into English as

by Sid Wayne and popularized in the United States by singers such as Perry Como, Andy Williams, and Elvis Presley.

Recently, it has also been recorded by Christina Aguilera, Celine Dion and Clay Aiken.

Manzanero's death moved many Mexicans, including the president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

The president interrupted his press conference on Monday to announce the news of the artist's death.

And, immediately afterwards, a video of

one of the creator's most famous songs,

was projected in the room

, as can be seen in the video from 1 hour and 34 minutes.

Mia

appeared in 1967, on the album

, and since then it has become one of Manzanero's most appreciated songs.

Also, like all his most outstanding songs, it has been covered by various artists, as relevant as Miguel Bosé or Luis Miguel.

I don't know you

, recorded for the first time in 1967, was famously covered in 1991 by Luis Miguel for his album

, in which Manzanero himself served as producer.

The Mexican singer-songwriter, during a tribute to his figure at this year's Latin Billboard Awards, performed this melody with South Korean artist Joy.