Diego Márquez, drummer of the emblematic Venezuelan rock band shoe 3He died this Wednesday. The musician took his own life, reported sources close to the group.
The drummer for Zapato 3, a band made up of Álvaro Segura, Carlos Segura, Fernando Batoni and Jaime Verdaguer, had been in Switzerland since the start of the pandemic. They found him hanged in his study.
Fernando Baroni, bassist of Zapato 3, shared an emotional message in which he recalled his friendship with Márquez and what it represented for him. «Diego left, Zapato 3 left. The second in my life. Lung, guide, teacher, metronome and bandmate, of struggles, dreams, conquests and longings (…) I am in mourning and devastated by this loss».
The band shared several images in which they remembered the drummer and mourned his passing. «Diego Márquez Leyenda, an unrepeatable musician, distinguished drummer, producer and helm of Zapato 3. Today without words to express the pain of your departure».
The Venezuelan rock world also mourned the loss of a great musician.
Tomates Fritos, a group made up of Boston Rex, Carlos «Kike» Franco, Rodrigo Vera and Max Martínez, recalled that the first time they entered a recording studio it was with Márquez, in 1997. «He had converted the office of his Dad (at Centro Plaza) in a mini studio, we learned a lot with him and listened to Pacifica’s first album before it came out,” the band wrote on Twitter.
The first time we entered a studio it was led by Diego Marquez (1997) he had turned his dad’s office (in the center square) into a mini studio, we learned a lot with him and listened to Pacifica’s first album before it came out ❤️
— Fried Tomatoes (@tomatesfritos) February 16, 2022
The band, responsible for songs like “Tripolar”, remembered Diego as a person with a great sense of humor but, above all, as one of the great producers of Venezuelan rock.
For his part, Max Manzano, director of the Fundación Nuevas Bandas, lamented the death of the musician and highlighted what he represented for Venezuelan rock. «The departure of someone who meant so much is painful, not only as a musician in Zapato3, Pacifica, as a sound engineer and producer, but also for those who worked and made friends with him. Diego Márquez touched the hearts of many, without knowing him; and he marked the lives of those who were close to him », he wrote.
It hurts the departure of someone who meant so much, not only as a musician in @shoe3, Pacifica, as a sound engineer and producer, but for those who worked and made friends with him. Diego Márquez touched the hearts of many, without knowing him; and he marked the lives of those who were close to him. pic.twitter.com/imXBmQlsVk
– Max Manzano (@maxmanzano) February 16, 2022
Márquez was the distinguished drummer of Zapato 3, one of the most representative bands of the 1980s, of which songs such as “Pantaletas Negras”, “Amor las Estrellas” and “Amor de Hierro” are remembered. The group had announced a tour for this year.
In addition to being a drummer, Márquez also worked as a singer in the band Pacifica, and as a prominent producer. Among the most important albums he produced is Miss Mujerzuelafrom Cyanide Candies.
