The country music world was heartbroken by the recent news that Raul Malo, the frontman for The Mavericks, has died.
Malo, who was battling stage 4 colon cancer and leptomeningeal disease, passed away on Dec. 8.
Malo, 60, shared his fight with fans until the end, and that created plenty of heartbreaking and, at times, heartwarming headlines. But he was also in the headlines back on the Fourth of July for a different reason. Back then, Malo spoke out against the practices of Donald Trump and his administration.
“The words ‘liberty and justice for all’ have faded into a distant past,” he wrote on social media. “To some of us those words were deeply personal. My family came here because of those words. I was born here because of those words. I have had an extraordinary life because of those words. And now those words have lost their meaning. They are now abstract concepts used to inflict cruelty and suffering on the unsuspecting, the weak, the sick, the poor, the needy. We can add Purple Heart war veterans to that list as several have been deported already. This is America right now.
“Some will tell me that I should leave the country or my favorite ‘shut up and sing (A statement so void of any sense that it is impossible to execute),’” he continued. “On the ‘leaving’ part … that may come true whether I want to leave or not. The way the new law stands my mother could be stripped of her naturalized citizenship, then my sister and I would be illegal birthright citizens and away we go. As far as ‘shut up and sing’ well, clearly that’s not happening. You see the thing is this is my country too. Always has been. My country has been that beacon on the hill for so long and for so many.”
Malo was not through.
“As Lady Liberty’s flame dims with every atrocity committed in her name, we will not be afraid of the dark,” he wrote. “We will find the light again.”
He encouraged his followers to “think about what the Stars and Stripes mean to you.”
“Think about the words that we’re supposed to live by … The Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, our Bill of Rights,” he wrote. “Think about the food you’re eating. Who harvested the corn? Who picked the strawberries? Who raised the beef for this feast? How did the apples end up in this pie? Who built this beautiful house with the beautiful deck that your family is enjoying today? Think about it. This isn’t about politics anymore. It’s about humanity. It’s about all of us. We, the people.”
The beloved singer had long shared his cancer battle with fans, but in September he announced he also had leptomeningeal disease, for which there is no cure.