Singer/songwriter/producer Estéfano is in critical state at Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital after being shot multiple times at his Miami home Friday night.
Estéfano, one of Latin music’s most successful and prolific composers, recently produced Jennifer Lopez’s “Como Ama Una Mujer” and Chayanne’s “Mi Tiempo,” which currently sit at No. 4 and No. 9 respectively on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart. He has written top hits for virtually every marquee name in Latin music. Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan, Paulina Rubio, Thalia, Ricky Martin and Julio Iglesias have all recorded Estéfano songs that hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin songs charts.
A report by the Miami Herald on Saturday stated the 39 year-old Estéfano was shot by his handyman, Francisco S. Oliveira of Miami. Oliveira is charged with attempted second-degree murder and is being held at Miami Dade County jail without bond.
Estéfano was shot inside his mansion, which was listed on the market earlier this year for $7.95 million, located in Miami’s exclusive Venetian Isle. According to the Herald, he received at least two shots — one in the chest and one to his head.
Estéfano was the subject of a Billboard special in 2005, coinciding with the release of his first solo album, “Código Personal: A Media Vida,” and the inauguration of his state of the art studio at Biscayne Boulevard in Miami.
In the mid 1990s, Estéfano, a native of Cali, Colombia, gained notoriety as one half of popular pop duo Donato y Estéfano. But he became even more famous with a string of songwriting and producing credits that propelled the careers of multiple stars and have led many in the industry to call him Latin music’s top songwriter.
