Flaco Jimenez, the legendary accordionist from San Antonio whose soulful playing helped take conjunto and Tejano music to audiences around the world, died Thursday at 86. Known as much for his groundbreaking musical collaborations as for his quiet humility, Jimenez passed away peacefully at the home of his son, Arturo, surrounded by loved ones.
“Dad was in peace when he left. He started saying his goodbyes several days before,” Arturo told The Associated Press. “He said he was proud of himself for what he had done and he just leaves memories for the public to enjoy. He said he was ready to go.”
While a cause of death has not yet been determined, Jimenez was hospitalised in January for a blood clot and was later diagnosed with vascular complications.
Born Leonardo Jimenez in 1939, Flaco—Spanish for “skinny” — was the son of conjunto pioneer Santiago Jimenez. Raised in San Antonio, he inherited his father’s musical instincts and honed his craft in local dance halls and saloons. His accordion style became a trademark sound of the American Southwest.
Conjunto, the South Texas music style blending Mexican folk and European polka influences, was in Jimenez’s blood. According to the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, the genre emerged over a century ago as Tejanos embraced the accordion traditions of German, Czech, and Polish immigrants. Jimenez, in turn, modernised and globalized the form.
“He always wanted to try to incorporate accordion into all sorts of different genres… That was always a fascination of his, and he was able to,” Arturo Jimenez said.
Flaco’s collaborations spanned musical borders—from Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones to Ry Cooder, Dr. John, and Linda Ronstadt. In the 1990s, he gained broader recognition as a founding member of the Texas Tornados, a Tejano supergroup with Doug Sahm, Augie Meyers, and Freddy Fender. Their hit “Soy de San Luis” won a Grammy in 1991.
He later joined another Grammy-winning ensemble, Los Super Seven, in 1999. Across his career, Jimenez earned five Grammy Awards and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. His accolades also include induction into the National Hispanic Hall of Fame, the NYC International Latin Music Hall of Fame, and being named a Texas State Musician in 2014.
Despite international acclaim, Flaco remained deeply rooted in San Antonio and in service to his fans.
“I’ve seen where fans come up to him and they literally cry… and thank my dad for all the good music and how dad’s music has been there for them in multiple situations—either happiness or sadness,” said Arturo.
When honoured with the 2022 National Medal of Arts, the White House praised Jimenez for “harnessing heritage to enrich American music” and blending Tex-Mex, Tejano, blues, rock, and pop “to sing the soul of America’s Southwest.”
The Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame and Museum said in tribute: “Your passing leaves a void in our hearts.”
Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, described Jimenez as “a paragon of Tejano conjunto music” who drew “millions of listeners into a rich musical world they might not have discovered on their own.”
Flaco Jimenez lived his entire life in the city he adored.
“They call him ‘el hijo de San Antonio’ and my dad always was proud of that,” Arturo said.
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