Indio Solari, one of the most singular and fiercely independent figures in the history of Argentine rock, has died at 77, a decade after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Born Carlos Alberto Solari in Paraná, Entre Ríos, in 1949, he became a near-mythic presence in rock en español as the frontman of Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota. He formed the band in 1976 in La Plata alongside guitarist Skay Beilinson, the two of them building it from bar and club gigs in their hometown into one of the most beloved acts the country has ever produced. The group took its name from Patricio Rey, a fictional character and shared consciousness rather than any real person, and from the colloquial Argentine term for round ricotta-filled buñuelos.
The band’s strength lay in the semantic power of Solari’s lyrics, which explored politics, drugs, love, and the dark corners of Argentine life with a philosophical, existentialist bent. His obscure and complex writing drew comparisons to Baroque masters like Francisco de Quevedo, filtered through a corrosive view of neoliberalism, the Gulf War, political corruption, and drug culture. After the band’s 1985 debut ‘Gulp!,’ Los Redondos released a run of landmark albums including ‘Oktubre,’ ‘La Mosca y la Sopa,’ ‘Lobo Suelto, Cordero Atado,’ which gave them the perennial favorite “Un Ángel Para tu Soledad,” ‘Luzbelito,’ and ‘Último Bondi a Finisterre.’ Alongside “Semilla” Bucciarelli, Walter Sidotti, and Sergio Dawi, Solari and Beilinson anchored the group through its peak years.
Los Redondos built their legend on their own terms, cultivating one of the most devoted fan bases in Latin American music while operating largely outside the mainstream industry. They drew 80,000 to Estadio Huracán in 1994 and more than 140,000 to River Plate Stadium in 2000, though their concerts were also shadowed by tragedy, including the 1991 death of Walter Bulacio in police custody outside a show at Estadio Obras. Internal tensions between Solari and his bandmates brought the group to an end in 2001. He launched a prolific solo career with Los Fundamentalistas del Aire Acondicionado, beginning with ‘El Tesoro de los Inocentes (Bingo Fuel)’ in 2004 and continuing through ‘Porco Rex,’ ‘El Perfume de la Tempestad,’ ‘Pajaritos, bravos muchachitos,’ and ‘El Ruiseñor, El Amor y La Muerte.’ His 2017 concert in Olavarría drew more than 250,000 fans, the largest open-air rock show in Argentine history. He died on June 5, 2026, in Parque Leloir, Ituzaingó.