Grammy-winning rock star Gustavo Cerati dies after four years in coma, aged 55

Argentine musician Gustavo Cerati, a flamboyant showman who brought stadium rock to Latin America with his band Soda Stereo, died on Thursday at age 55. Grammy-winning Cerati had been in a coma since suffering a stroke in May 2010, after a show in Venezuela. Soda, as most fans call the group, shot to fame across Latin America and in Spain in the 1980s with a distinctive, harmonious rock-pop sound and a slick image that set them apart from other Latin rock acts at the time.

This morning, patient Gustavo Cerati passed away.

Statement released on Thursday from the ALCLA hospital in Buenos Aires where Cerati was receiving care

Guitarist and vocalist Cerati formed the band with bass player Zeta Bosio and drummer Charly Alberti in 1982, just as Argentina’s military dictatorship started to crumble following a brief war in the British-ruled Falkland Islands. During a career that spanned three decades, he received a string of musical accolades including Latin Grammys and MTV awards, both with Soda Stereo and for his numerous solo projects.

(Gustavo’s) mum (who stayed with him for four years in hospital) is an example of a constant struggle. I wish there were more Lilians in this world.

Director of the ALCLA hospital Gustavo Barbalace

Entertainment Gustavo Cerati