Rocío Dúrcal (October 4, 1944 - March 25, 2006), born as María de los Ángeles de Las Heras Ortíz, was a Spanish singer and actress. Her birth and death both occurred in Madrid, Spain.
She was discovered in singing contests at the age of 15 and offered a role at 17 in Canción de Juventud. After acting in several films she married Filipino singer Antonio Morales (a.k.a. Júnior), a member of the Pop group Los Brincos. In 1975, after having two of her three children, she retired from the film industry and in 1977 re-launched her singing career. Dúrcal recorded the first of several albums of Mexican ranchera music produced by Juan Gabriel which sold millions of records in Mexico, Spain, the U.S. and the rest of Latin America. She then recorded a Mexican music album with Marco Antonio Solís, with similar success.
In 2001, Rocío Dúrcal was diagnosed with uterine cancer. In 2004, her doctors discovered a malignant lesion (abnormal cancerous tissue) in her lungs, which was treated with chemotherapy. The cancer later metastasized (spread of cancer cells) to her brain. After a lengthy and heroic battle with cancer, Dúrcal died at her home in Torrelodones, Madrid on March 25, 2006.
Her style has influenced many female mariachi and ranchera singers from Mexico as well as the Hispanic community of the United States.
Rocio Durcal has sold more than 53 million records worldwide.
