Grammy-winning Accordionist Flaco Jimenez Dies at 86

Leonardo “Flaco” Jiménez, the Grammy-winning accordionist widely credited with transforming Tejano and conjunto music into global phenomena, passed away on Thursday at age 86, surrounded by family at his son’s home in San Antonio. His death followed a prolonged illness, including hospitalization earlier in the year, though no specific cause has been disclosed.

Born on March 11, 1939, in San Antonio into a distinguished musical family, Flaco’s father, Santiago Jiménez Sr., and grandfather Patricio had helped shape conjunto in the Rio Grande region.

A child prodigy, he first performed at age seven and began recording at fifteen with the band Los Caporales, quickly earning regional acclaim with tunes like “Hasta La Vista” in 1955.

In the 1960s, Flaco refined his craft in San Antonio dance halls and saloons, merging German, Polish, Czech polka traditions with Tejano rhythms powered by accordion and bajo sexto.

His early collaborations with local star Doug Sahm of the Sir Douglas Quintet marked the start of national exposure; later, he worked with Ry Cooder on Chicken Skin Music, and appeared on recordings with Bob Dylan, Dr. John, and even the Rolling Stones during their Voodoo Lounge sessions.

In the 1980s and ’90s, Jiménez achieved mainstream recognition. In 1986 he won his first Grammy for Ay Te Dejo en San Antonio, a song written by his father.

He later co-founded the supergroup Texas Tornados alongside Sahm, Augie Meyers, and Freddy Fender, whose track “Soy de San Luis” earned a Grammy in 1991.

He continued his collaborative success with Los Super Seven, winning yet another Grammy in 1999.

Over his career he received six Grammy Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015), and was inducted into both the National Hispanic Hall of Fame and the International Latin Music Hall of Fame. In 2014 he was named Texas State Musician, and in 2022 received the National Medal of Arts for enriching U.S. music by blending heritage traditions with blues, rock, country and pop.

Flaco’s style was celebrated for its innovation: he pushed the accordion into genres far beyond its traditional confines.

His final words, reportedly “Ya estoy cansado” (“I’m tired”), captured the humility and authenticity that defined him both on stage and off.

According to local report, the Jiménez family plans a private funeral followed by a public memorial on August 7 at the Carver Community Cultural Center in San Antonio, featuring performances by longtime collaborators including Max Baca’s Los TexManiacs. The family has asked that fans refrain from fundraising in his name, affirming that no official donation drives are authorized.

Flaco Jiménez’s seven-decade career forged bridges between cultures and generations. He elevated conjunto from regional dance halls to world stages, all while preserving its soul. His music—vibrant, cross-pollinated, heartfelt—continues to resonate, ensuring that his legacy endures as powerfully as the accordion notes he coaxed to life.