The Spanish singer and actress Encarnita Polo died this Friday at the age of 86 in Ávila, the city where she lived in recent years with her daughter, Raquel Waitzman Polo, “surrounded by affection.”
“For me she was, above all, my mother: a strong, fun woman with a unique character,” said her daughter “with immense pain” in a statement collected by Europa Press, where she recalled that for many she was “an unforgettable singer and actress, a pioneer of flamenco-pop whose voice and personality marked several generations.”
In this same writing, her daughter has asked for privacy at this time to be able to “grieve in silence and peace”, and has sent a message of gratitude to all “who admired her and continue to remember her with affection”, and to those who accompany her “in this very difficult time”.
Polo was born in the Sevillian neighborhood of Triana and began her relationship with music as a child, influenced by the family flamenco environment. In his adolescence he moved with his family to Barcelona, a city where he began performing in nightclubs and local radio stations, which marked the beginning of his professional career.
One of his greatest successes came in 1969 with the publication of ‘Paco, Paco, Paco’. Decades later the song regained worldwide fame after going viral on the internet. This piece ended up becoming his personal trademark and one of the great Spanish musical phenomena of his time. Another of his best-known singles is ‘Pepa Bandera’.
In the 1960s he consolidated his popularity and moved to Italy to work alongside figures of Italian song such as Claudio Villa or Gigliola Cinquetti. It was in this country where he made his film debut alongside Domenico Modugno in the musical comedy ‘Scaramouc’.
On television she also participated in the famous TVE program ‘Passport to Dublin’, where she shared space with other great artists of the time, such as Rocío Jurado, Julio Iglesias, Nino Bravo, Massiel and Karina.