Remembering Joan Sebastian With 15 Interesting Facts On His 65th Birthday

Joan Sebastian's first death anniversary is quickly approaching and although we're sad that the Mexican singer left us too soon, we can't help but celebrate his remarkable legacy. The iconic artist and composer, who passed away on July 13, 2015 after his 16-year battle with bone cancer, lives stronger than ever amongst his loved ones and fans.

Following his death, Sebastian's family revealed details about a forthcoming album with songs that the late singer was working on prior to passing. One of those tracks is "Volvi Pa'l Pueblo," which was released posthumously. News about a Televisa series based on El Rey del Jaripeo's life was also announced ending October. If that's not enough, Sebastian's colleagues celebrated his legacy and trajectory with a tribute concert in Mexico, and Colombian singer Charlie Zaa even dropped a covers studio album called "Mi Mejor Regalo," featuring Sebastian's best hits in bachata.

Friday marks what would have been Sebastian's 65th birthday and we celebrate with some facts!

1) Born José Manuel Figueroa Figueroa, Joan wrote over 1,000 songs in his career.
2) He composed songs for many of his colleagues, such as: Vicente Fernandez, Lucero, Pepe Aguilar, and Rocio Durcal.
3) With seven Latin Grammys and five Grammys, he is the Mexican artist with most Grammy wins.
4) He began composing at the age of seven.
5) At 14, he was sent to a monastery school in Morelos, where he considered becoming a priest.
6) After enrolling in the Seminario Conciliar de San José in Cuernavaca, Morelos, he realized he wanted to pursue his singing career and he ditched the school.
7) He worked as an administrative assistant at a vacation resort.
8) In 1968, he met Mexican actress Angelica Maria, who helped him with contacts in the industry.
9) In 1974, he dropped his first album: "Pedro Parrandas."
10) In 1996, he made his acting debut in a Mexican novela called "Tu y Yo" with Maribel Guardia.
11) In 2000, he released his highly-acclaimed album: "Secreto de Amor."
12) In 2006, he was inducted into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame.
13) One of the last music videos he released was "La Derrota" in 2013.
14) He had eight different children from five different partners.
15) After being diagnosed with cancer in 1999, Sebastian admitted that he was not afraid of dying.