Carlos Marín Menchero (13 October 1968 – 19 December 2021) was a Spanish

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

and a member of the

classical crossover Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers who appeal to different types of audience. This can be seen, for example, (especially in the United States) when a song appears on two or more of the record charts which track differ ...

group

Il Divo Il Divo (; ) are a multi-national classical crossover vocal group. The male quartet, which originated in the United Kingdom in December 2003, consists of tenors Urs Bühler, David Miller, and Sébastien Izambard. It also included baritone ...

, which has sold over 28 million records worldwide.

Early life

Born in Rüsselsheim, West Germany and raised in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, Spain, Marín started his career in music early in life, recording his first album when he was eight years old, produced by Dutch singer-songwriter and record producer

Pierre Kartner Petrus Antonius Laurentius Kartner (11 April 1935 – 8 November 2022) was a Dutch musician, singer-songwriter and record producer who performed under the stage name Vader Abraham (''Father Abraham''). He wrote around 1600 songs. Early life an ...

. The record, named The ''Little Caruso'', contained songs like "

O Sole Mio "O sole mio" () is a well-known Neapolitan song written in 1898. Its Neapolitan language lyrics were written by Giovanni Capurro and the music was composed by Eduardo di Capua (1865–1917) and Alfredo Mazzucchi (1878–1972).. The title transla ...

" and "

Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...

". At eight years old, he sang "Granada" in front of an audience of 800 people. At age ten he recorded a second album called ''Mijn Lieve Mama'' (My Dear Mother). This musical beginning led him to study piano and solfeggio. During this period Marín lived in the Netherlands in Eindhoven, but moved back to Spain when he was twelve. In Spain he won several awards in television contests like "Gente Joven" (Young People) and "Nueva Gente" (New People) in TVE (Spanish Television) when he was 15 and in his 20s. During this time he also started to sing on live television shows accompanied by an orchestra. He earned through the years an important reputation as a musical performer, cultivating different musical genres and receiving excellent reviews from critics. He made a name for himself in the music industry, participating in several musical contests; the "Jacinto Guerrero", "Francisco Alonso", and "Julián Gayarre" in 1996, where he won second place in male performers, among others. He performed in several musicals, starting in 1993 as Marius in ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

'', and afterwards ''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...

'' (where he had an accident that left him with a ruptured tendon in his calf and took six months to recover), '' Grease'' (where he played the role of Vince Fontaine), ''El Diluvio Que Viene'' (the Spanish language version of the Italian musical "

Aggiungi un posto a tavola ''Aggiungi un posto a tavola'' (ET: Set another place at the table) is a musical comedy written by Pietro Garinei, Sandro Giovannini and Iaia Fiastri, with music by Armando Trovaioli. It debuted in 1974 under the direction of Garinei and Giovannin ...

"), and covering for

José Sacristán José María Sacristán Turiégano (born 27 September 1937), better known as José Sacristán, is a Spanish film, theatre, and television actor. At Gijón International Film Festival in 2015, he received the Nacho Martinez Award. At the 60 ...

in ''Man from La Mancha''. He participated also in the production of ''La Magia De Broadway'' (Broadway Magic) and ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...

'' (in theater and CD), in this musical he shared also the tasks of musical direction with

Alberto Quintero Alberto Quintero (born in October 1970 in Palencia, Spain) is a Spanish composer, arranger, music producer, musical director and conductor. Biography Although most of his career has been focused on recording, he has recently focused on the w ...

. He sang in

Henry Selick Charles Henry Selick Jr. (; born November 30, 1952) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, production designer, and animator who is best known for directing the stop-motion animation films ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993), ...

's animated film, ''

The Nightmare Before Christmas ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (also known as ''Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas'') is a 1993 American stop-motion animated musical dark fantasy film directed by Henry Selick (in his feature directorial debut) and produced and ...

'', and he was also the Prince's singing voice in

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's Spanish version of ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

'', produced in the year 2000. Marín took vocal lessons with

Alfredo Kraus Alfredo Kraus Trujillo (; 24 November 192710 September 1999) was a distinguished Spanish tenor from the Canary islands (known professionally as Alfredo Kraus), particularly known for the artistry he brought to opera's bel canto roles. He was a ...

Montserrat Caballé Montserrat Caballé i Folch or Folc (full name: María de Montserrat Bibiana Concepción Caballé i Folch (, , ; (12 April 1933 – 6 October 2018), known simply as Montserrat Caballé, was a Catalan Spanish operatic soprano. She sang a wide va ...

, and

Jaume Aragall Jaume Aragall i Garriga (; born 6 June 1939), better known as Giacomo Aragall, is a Spanish operatic tenor. He became known for his role singing Rodolfo in Puccini's ''La bohème'' in the late 1960s, and it would become one of the most frequently ...

. In later years he won acclaim as ''primo baritono'' in several operas, including ''

La Traviata ''La traviata'' (; ''The Fallen Woman'') is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on ''La Dame aux camélias'' (1852), a play by Alexandre Dumas ''fils'' adapted from his own 18 ...

'', ''

The Barber of Seville ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( it, Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ) is an ''opera buffa'' in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was base ...

'', ''

La Bohème ''La bohème'' (; ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions ''quadri'', ''tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe G ...

'', ''

Lucia Di Lammermoor ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel ''The Bride of Lammermoor''. ...

'', and ''

Madame Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story "Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Luther ...

''. Some of his most distinguished opera performances included Mercutio in ''Campoamor'' (Oviedo), Don Giglio in ''La Capricciosa Corretta'' (highly recommended for opera lovers), or in Damut's version of ''Marina''. Marín also participated in ''

zarzuela () is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name of ...

'' (Spanish operetta). He participated in the zarzuelas in the Jardines De Sabatini (Sabatini Gardens) in Madrid, a popular summer music venue at the Gardens of the

Royal Palace of Madrid The Royal Palace of Madrid ( es, Palacio Real de Madrid) is the official residence of the Spanish royal family at the city of Madrid, although now used only for state ceremonies. The palace has of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. It is the ...

. Some of his performances in the Spanish operetta include ''La Gran Vía'' (The Great Way), '' La revoltosa'' (The Rebellious), in which he played Felipe, and ''

La verbena de la Paloma ' (''The Fair of the Virgin of la Paloma'') —subtitled ''El boticario y las chulapas y celos mal reprimidos''— is an 1894 zarzuela with a libretto by and music by Tomás Bretón. It premiered on 17 February 1894 in Teatro Apolo, Madrid. It ...

'' (The Fair of the Virgin of la Paloma), in which he played Julián.

Il Divo

In December 2003, he became a member of the international musical quartet ''

'' along with

Urs Bühler Urs Toni Bühler (born 19 July 1971) is a Swiss classically trained tenor. He is a member of the classical crossover group Il Divo, who have sold over 30 million copies worldwide discs. Biography Early life His musical training started at ...

(Switzerland),

Sébastien Izambard Sébastien Izambard (; born 7 March 1973) is a French singer, composer and record producer. His vocal range is classified as popular melody or ''vox populi'' to a loud, so it has a tenor tessitura phonic. He has been a member of the classical c ...

(France), and David Miller (USA). Their debut album, ''

,'' became a worldwide multiplatinum selling record when released in November 2004, entering the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' charts at number four and selling five million copies worldwide in less than a year and knocking

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

from the number one spot in the charts. Their second album, ''

Ancora ''Ancora'' is the third studio album released by classical crossover vocal group Il Divo. The album was released in the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe on 7 November 2005, excluding the United States and Latin America. The album was l ...

'', was released on 7 November 2005 in the United Kingdom. Il Divo's third album, '' Siempre'', was released on 21 November 2006 in the United States and on 27 November 2006 internationally. Their album, '' The Promise'', was released on 10 November 2008 (world) and on 18 November 2008 (US), and shot straight to number 1 in the UK. On 1 December 2009, Il Divo released their album An Evening with Il Divo (Live in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

) with their single "Unbreak my Heart" turning into another success on the charts. That same year Il Divo were chosen to sing ''Sortilegio de Amor'', the soundtrack for the Mexican

Televisa Grupo Televisa is a Mexican multimedia mass media company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April 2021, Televisa and Univision Communications announce ...

soap opera, ''Sortilegio'', written by the Brazilian songwriter Denisse de Kalaffe. In 2011 Il Divo received the

Classical Brit Award The Classic BRIT Awards (previously Classical BRIT Awards) are an annual awards ceremony held in the United Kingdom covering aspects of European classical music, classical and Classical crossover, crossover music, and are the equivalent of popu ...

, Artist of the Decade. In June the same year, Il Divo were named Musical Ambassador in Japan and were asked to sing "Time to Say Goodbye" for the Japanese movie ''Andalucia''.

''Carlos Marín en Concierto''

Parallel to his presence in Il Divo, Marín started his own solo show performing for the first time in Madrid (Spain), where he gave four concerts at the Compac Gran Via Theater in June 2011, continuing with these solo concerts in Campeche (Mexico) 2014, Ciudad del Carmen (Mexico) 2015, Madrid (Spain) 2015, Mexico DF – Teatro Metropolitan 2016 which kicked off his first World Tour to include US, Spain, Mexico, South America and Japan. In September 2016, Marín released his first personal DVD/CD Worldwide, the result of the recording done during the Show at the Compac Gran Via Theater in Madrid, January 2016, where he sold out every night for 6 shows straight and played spectators from all over the world.

Personal life and death

Marín married Geraldine Larrosa at

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...

in California, in June 2006, after a 13-year relationship. After fewer than three years of marriage, they divorced in early 2009. On 7 December 2021, Marín contracted

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and was hospitalized in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, England. He was subsequently put into a medically induced coma, and died on 19 December, at the age of 53.

Discography

Solo

*Studio albums: #''Little Caruso'' (1976) #''Mijn Lieve Mama'' (''My Dear Mother'') (1978) *Opera and musicals: *'' La revoltosa'' (1995) *''

'' (1995) *''Jekyll & Hyde, The Musical'': Promo (2000) *Live albums: #''En Concierto'' (2016)

Il Divo

*Studio albums: #''

'' (2004) #''

'' (2005) #'' Siempre'' (2006) #'' The Promise'' (2008) #''

Wicked Game "Wicked Game" is a song by American rock musician Chris Isaak, released from his third album, '' Heart Shaped World'' (1989). Despite being released as a single in July 1989, it did not become a hit until it was featured in the 1990 David Lynch ...

'' (2011) #''

A Musical Affair ''A Musical Affair'' is the seventh studio album by the classical crossover group Il Divo. Il Divo is a group of four male singers: French pop singer Sébastien Izambard, Spanish baritone Carlos Marín, American tenor David Miller, and Swiss ...

'' (2013) #''

Amor & Pasión ''Amor & Pasión'', initially released in Japan on 28 October 2015, is the eighth studio album by the classical crossover musical group Il Divo, formed by a male vocal quartet; the Swiss tenor Urs Bühler, the Spanish baritone Carlos Marín, t ...

'' (2015) #''Timeless'' (2018) #''For Once In My Life: A Celebration Of Motown'' (2021) *Seasonal album: #'' The Christmas Collection'' (2005) *Compilations: #'' The Greatest Hits'' (2012) *Live albums: #'' An Evening with Il Divo: Live in Barcelona'' (2009) #'' Live in Japan'' (2014) *Special editions: #''Il Divo: Gift Edition'' (2005) #''Il Divo Collezione'' (2006) #''Christmas Collection: The Yule Log'' (2006) #''The Promise. Luxury Edition'' (2008) #''Wicked Game: Gift Edition'' (2011) #''Wicked Game: Limited Edition Deluxe Box Set'' (2011) #''The Greatest Hits: Gift Edition'' (2012) #''The Greatest Hits: Deluxe Limited Edition'' (2012) #''A Musical Affair: Exclusive Gift Edition'' (2014) #''A Musical Affair: French Versión'' (2014) #''Live in Japan: Japan Versión'' (2014)

Videography

Il Divo

# 2004 – ''

Live at Gotham Hall Live At Gotham Hall, is a live promotional presentation, available on DVD, of the concert of ''Il Divo'' in the Gotham Hall of New York, of December 2004. It was the first concert of Il Divo, and the first DVD. Smart of songs It contains a con ...

'' # 2005 – ''Encore'' # 2005 – ''Mamá'' # 2006 – ''The Yule Log: The Christmas Collection'' # 2006 – '' Live At the Greek Theater'' # 2008 – ''At the Coliseum'' # 2009 – '' An Evening with Il Divo: Live in Barcelona'' # 2011 – '' Live in London'' # 2014 – '' Live in Japan'' # 2016 – ''Live in Japan 2016''

References

External links

* – official site
Carlos Marin
– official site (archive) * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marin, Carlos 1968 births 2021 deaths People from Groß-Gerau (district) Opera crossover singers Singers from Madrid Spanish expatriates in Germany Spanish operatic baritones Spanish pop singers Il Divo members Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in England