As the country music community grieves the death of the Mavericks‘ singer Raul Malo, his wife has taken to social media with a statement that describes how she’ll remember him.

Betty Malo shared that her husband died at 8:52PM on Dec. 8, ending his battle with cancer. She wrote her message in both English and Spanish so all of Malo’s fans could feel the power of her gratitude.

Related: 35 Country Singers Who Have Battled Cancer

Raul Malo Cause of Death

Raul Malo’s death came after a battle with cancer. He shared his diagnosis with fans in June 2024 and afterward was honest about updates to treat tumors on his liver and colon.

Starting in in 2025, he was forced to cancel many Mavericks’ tour dates. In September he shared that he’d developed Leptomeningeal disease (LMD). According to the Cleveland Clinic that is:

“Cancer in your cerebrospinal fluid and leptomeninges, membranes that surround your brain and spinal cord.”

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There is no cure for LMD and often those who receive treatment live for three to six months.

Raul Malo’s Wife and Kids

Raul Malo married his wife Betty in 1992 and together they have three sons, Dino, Victor and Max. She took to her husband’s social media pages to announced the news of the death.

“He was called to do another gig — this time in the sky — and he’s flying high like an eagle,” she wrote.

No one embodied life and love, joy and passion, family, friends, music, and adventure the way our beloved Raul did. Now he will look down on us with all that heaven will allow, lighting the way and reminding us to savor every moment.

Dino, Victor, Max and I — along with our entire family — thank all of you for your love and support through all of this. We felt every bit of it.
In Raul’s own words: “Muchísimas gracias.”

The Mavericks’s Best Songs + Biggest Hits

The Mavericks recorded more than a dozen albums but their peak commercial success in mainstream country music came in the 1990s. “What a Crying Shame” was their first Top 40 single, to be followed by a pair of Top 20 hits, “O What a Thrill” and “There Goes My Heart.”

In 1996, the group released “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down” with Flaco Jiménez. It’d become their highest charting song on country airplay charts.

“Here Comes the Rain” is another well known song, having won a Grammy at the 38th annual awards. They earned eight total Grammy nominations, the most recent coming for the Brand New Day album in 2018.

Sonically, fans praised Malo’s golden voice and the band’s willingness to weave Tejano, Latin and Americana influences into their music over the years. It’s a career cut short by cancer — a story all too familiar to country music fans.