Flaco Jiménez, the Tex-Mex legend who captivated Ry Cooder, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones, dies.

Legendary American accordionist Flaco Jiménez has passed away at the age of 86, his family announced on social media late Thursday night, July 31. “It is with great sadness that we share tonight the loss of our father, Flaco Jiménez. He was surrounded by his loved ones and will be greatly missed. Thank you to all his fans and friends who cherished his music. And thank you so much for all the memories. His legacy will live on through his music and all his fans. The family asks for privacy during this time of sadness and grief,” his children’s statement reads.

Jiménez won six Grammy Awards throughout his career, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015, and is also a recipient of the National Medal of Arts awarded by the United States government, as well as other recognitions such as the Hohner Lifetime Award, the Ameripolitan Achievement, and the National Heritage Fellowship, the highest national distinction in folk and traditional arts. One of his albums, 'Partners,' was selected in 2021 for the U.S. Library of Congress's National Recording Registry, which described the musician as "a champion of traditional conjunto music and Tex-Mex culture who is also known for his innovation and collaboration with a wide variety of artists."

Born to a well-known San Antonio family in 1939, Leonardo 'Flaco' Jiménez, along with his brother Santiago Jr. Jiménez, dedicated his life to the music pioneered by his grandfather, Patricio Jiménez, and his father, Santiago Jiménez : the musical genre called 'conjunto,' a Tex-Mex translation of the polkas and waltzes that European immigrants brought to Central Texas.

He began playing with his father when he was just a child, and by the time he reached adolescence, he had his own group, with which he created music for dancers in dance halls and bars. His first recordings were released on small labels. "People considered my music to be bar music; it wasn't respected . The accordion was considered something of a joke," Jiménez would recall about his early career.

His first local hit was the 1955 single "Hasta La Vista," but it wasn't until the 1970s that his career really began to gain prominence. Doug Sahm, another San Antonio music icon, brought him to New York in 1972 to record his first solo album, "Doug Sahm and Band," and roots music specialist Ry Cooder included him on his 1976 album "Chicken Skin Music" and took him on tour around the world.

He won his first Grammy Award in 1986 for his father's recording, "Ay Te Dejo en San Antonio," and gained wider recognition with the Tex-Mex supergroup Texas Tornados, which featured Sahm, Sir Douglas Quintet member Augie Myers, Jiménez, and country star Freddy Fender.

The group released a handful of albums in the 1990s, featuring songs like "Who Were You Thinkin' Of" and "Is Anybody Going to San Antone," and won a Grammy Award in 1991 for Best Mexican-American Performance for "Soy de San Luis," another song written by Santiago Jiménez Sr.

On 'Partners,' a bilingual album released in 1992, he collaborated with stars such as Stephen Stills, Linda Ronstadt, Ry Cooder, Emmylou Harris, and Los Lobos. Other notables who have recorded and/or performed with him include Dr. John, Bob Dylan, Carlos Santana, and the Rolling Stones , who invited him to participate in the song 'Sweethearts Together' from their 1994 album 'Voodoo Lounge.' He also collaborated with Bunbury on the song 'Llévame' from the Spanish artist's album, 'Licenciado Cantinas.'

In the late 1990s, he was also a member of Los Super Seven, a supergroup with which he won another Grammy for their self-titled album. In 2000, he appeared in the film "Picking Up the Pieces" (Cachitos Picante) with Woody Allen and Sharon Stone, and participated in the film's soundtrack. His music has also been featured in other films such as "Y Tu Mamá También ," "El Infierno," "The Border," "Tin Cup," "Chulas Fronteras," and "Striptease."

In 2014, he underwent major back surgery, and the following year, he underwent emergency surgery for a broken hip after a fall at home, just one day after finishing recording a new album with his brother. Doctors replaced Jiménez's hip after he had broken it in two places.

He had celebrated his 86th birthday in March, two months after being admitted to the hospital for a "medical issue." Jiménez's son, Arturo, said his father's last words were, "I'm tired."