Raul Malo, co-founder of The Mavericks, died Monday at the age of 60 after a battle with cancer.

He was first diagnosed with colon cancer in June 2024. In September 2025, he announced that he was fighting LMD, a cancer that affects the brain and spinal cord. "It's with the deepest grief we share the passing of our friend, bandmate and brother Raul Malo," the band wrote in a statement. "Anyone with the pleasure of being in Raul's orbit knew that he was a force of human nature, with an infectious energy. Over a career of more than three decades entertaining millions around the globe, his towering creative contributions and unrivaled generational talent created the kind of multicultural American music reaching far beyond America itself." The Mavericks first launched in 1990 and went on hiatus in 2004. They reunited in 2012 and continued to record and tour until 2025. Raul is survived by his wife of 24 years Betty and their sons Dino, Victor and Max, his mother Norma and sister Carol.