(TELESUR) – In 1974, Stephen was awarded a Gold Record for selling one million copies of the ‘Lemon, Lemon Seller’ song.
Culture Minister Ernesto Villegas confirmed the death of the musical legend, who was diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 on April 1.
“This news is heartbreaking. Stephen earned the love and respect of several generations in our country and overseas. COVID-19 snatched from us a revolutionary man full of energy and projects,” Villegas tweeted.
President Nicolas Maduro lamented the death of the musician and assured, “the Venezuelan people will always remember ‘My lemon, my lemon seller’, a legend of our popular music.”
Stephen, 79, is considered one of the pioneers of the Rock and Roll genre in the country. He began his musical career in the early 60’s singing in local groups, such as the Flippers and Los Impala.
In 1965 he debuted as a solo artist with the song “Please release me” in the then-popular Renny’s Show. In the following years, he released seven albums, such as Lord Henry (1966), Lemon, lemon seller (1968), and I don’t know why (1982).
Stephen scored an international hit in 1968 with the song Lemon, Lemon Seller, which became a popular summer song in Spain. Six years later, the U.S. Sony Music Entertainment record label awarded him a Gold Record for selling one million copies of that track.
