El Taiger passed away on Thursday, October 10, in a “senseless violent crime,” almost one week after he was unexplainably found with a gunshot wound to his forehead inside a car. His age was 37.
Just after 7 a.m. on October 4, in Miami’s Allapattah neighbourhood, the Cuban Reggaeton artist, whose true name was Jose Manuel Carbajal Zaldivar, was discovered in the back of a Mercedes-Benz SUV with tanks of petroleum in the petrol tank.
“Jose Manuel Carbajal, known as “El Taiger,” was the victim of a senseless violent crime,” a post to his Instagram story read Thursday. “Sadly, this afternoon, El Taiger was pronounced dead and has now been reunited with his beloved mother in heaven.”
The singer was rushed to nearby Jackson Memorial Hospital in “very critical condition,” according to Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales.
“While this news is both shocking and heartbreaking, we encourage El Taiger’s fans to honor his memory by celebrating the joy he brought to so many fans. Turn up your music, dance and celebrate his life,” the post added.
“El Taiger was the people’s sentiment and now we must keep that sentiment alive through his music and legacy.”
Fans gathered at a makeshift memorial outside the hospital where they honked car horns and played some of the singer’s music together on Thursday.
“He was my friend, and he was a singer,” Jonathan Esponda told WSVN. “He was big for our community, really big in our community.”
“Really important for us, because his music, he made a change,” fan Daniel Andran told the outlet.
Cops believe he may have been shot somewhere else and then dumped close to the hospital.
“We are certain it did not happen on that corner where the car was found. This happened somewhere else, someone drove it there, left it and left on foot,” Miami police spokesman Mike Vega told Telemundo.
Police said one man was being sought for questioning in the murder investigation.
