Monico Cortez II with his son, Monico Cortez III. | Courtesy photo
Monico Cortez II plans to honor his late son with an emotional new single that features many of Tejano music’s best artists and producers. He shares details on the new project in an exclusive interview with Tejano Nation.
“Kinda sad because we lost our drummer, which is my son at the age the 24,” said Cortez. “I was telling the guys, this is crazy, this is our busiest year. We were celebrating our 10-year anniversary in the music business, the whole year we were busy, and then the passing of Monico III.”
Monico Cortez III passed away in his sleep on October 1, 2022. What was the cause of the young musician’s death? No answers were found except he had a seizure in his sleep and unfortunately never recovered. Heartbreak can paralyze you, especially when it’s one of your children. Monico and the band took a month off from performing to mourn his son.
At the funeral, Javier Galvan delivered a heart-felt eulogy. One week later, Monico contacted Galvan about a song he wanted to put together to honor his son. Surprisingly and remarkably, Galvan had already started writing after he left the funeral home.
All the musical elements started taking place, a collaboration between amazing musicians, like Grammy Award winner David Lee Garza. After a conversation with Garza, Grammy-winning producer Gilbert Velasquez was added to the project along with Los Musicales lead singer Cezar Martinez, Grammy winner Chente Barerra, and Marco Jaime.
The new project is a song in honor of his son, “Mi Hijo, Mi Angel.” Monico got a little emotional and shared his favorite lyric from the song. He said, “I can’t wait to reunite with you. I know you’re up in Heaven with the Lord.”
Monico shared fond memories with his son. “I have so many. He was our drummer so every time on stage, I would turn around and look at him. He would have this big smile on his face.”
An EP is scheduled for release soon that will pay tribute to Monico Cortez III. Plus a music video is planned for the new single featuring many photos and videos together with Monico III.
According to his Facebook page, Monico Cortez III shared how much he loved to be on the stage playing the drums but also how much he loved his Dad. In a Facebook post celebrating his father’s birthday he wrote: “Dad, you were there for me from the day I was born, always having my best interests in mind. You are one of the most important people in my life and I love you with all my heart. I feel stronger just knowing that my dad believes in me, and I feel blessed knowing that he loves me more than anything else in the whole world. Happy birthday, Dad! Mr.MC2!!”
Daily prayers and encouraging posts are on Monico’s Facebook page. How can a man be so inspiring while living with sadness? Faith and God.
“Mi Hijo, Mi Angel” from Monico Cortez II featuring David Lee Garza, Javier Galvan, Cezar Martinez, Chente Barrera, and Marco Jaime is available to stream or download on all digital music platforms.
Monico Cortez II — “Mi Hijo, Mi Angel”
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