Mexican ballad singer Julián Figueroa dies at 27

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican ballad singer Julián Figueroa has died at the age of 27, his mother confirmed Monday.

Figueroa was the son of actress Maribel Guardia and singer Joan Sebastian, who died in 2015. Guardia wrote that Figueroa died of a heart ailment.

Like his father, Figueroa sang northern-inspired ballads backed by a traditional band. His hits included songs like “Yo sería”, “Ay amor” and “Volaré.”

Guardia wrote in her Instagram account that her son died over the weekend.

“They found him unconscious in his room last night,” she wrote. “When the ambulance arrived and the police found him dead, there was no sign of violence. The medical report says he died of an acute heart attack.”

Figueroa was survived by his mother, and his wife, singer and actress Imelda Tuñón, and their son. Funeral plans were not immediately announced.

Joan Sebastian, one of Mexico’s great ballad singers, died in 2015 at age 64.

He was best known for sentimental love songs like “Tatuajes” and “Secreto de Amor,” sometimes set to simple guitar arrangements and sometimes sung on horseback.

Born Jose Manuel Figueroa, Sebastian had eight children with five women.