In a suicide note posted on Twitter before he took his own life, the co-founder of the band Botellita de Jerez wrote, 'Do Not Blame anyone for my death.'
- Apr 2, 2019
AceShowbiz - Mexican rocker Armando Vega Gil has taken his own life after he was accused on social media of sexually abusing an underage girl.
The 64-year-old bass guitarist, a co-founder of the band Botellita de Jerez, was found dead at his home in Mexico City on Monday, April 01, local authorities told Reuters. The group's official Twitter account has also confirmed the news.
His death came shortly after he uploaded a suicide note on Twitter, denying allegations posted by an anonymous social media account @MeTooMusicaMX that he had abused and harassed a woman when she was 13 years old.
Above his lengthy letter, which protested his innocence, he tweeted, "Do Not Blame anyone for my death: It is a suicide, a voluntary, conscious, free and personal decision. #MeeToMusicosMexicanos."
No se culpe a nadie de mi muerte: es un suicidio, una decisión voluntaria, consciente, libre y personal. #MeeToMusicosMexicanospic.twitter.com/pEXVf6beFn
— Armando Vega Gil (@ArmandoVegaGil) 1 April 2019
His letter to fans denied the accusation but expressed his fears that he would never be able to properly clear his name and the scandal would harm his son Andres, who is reportedly eight years old.
"I will say this categorically, this accusation is false," his letter read. "Let me make it clear that my death is not a confession of guilt, on the contrary it is a radical declaration of my innocence. I just want to clear the path my son will walk in the future."
According to Reuters, Botellita de Jerez's representative Paola Hernandez told local radio she had spoken to the musician shortly before his death and he had been distraught about the allegations, saying "(he) didn't know how to clear his name," but denied he was guilty.
The rocker's death has sparked an intense debate on social media, with some users accusing those responsible for @MeTooMusicaMX, a recently created account aligning itself with the wider #MeToo anti-sexual harassment movement, of having "blood on their hands."
A response to Gil's death posted to its followers described his death, translated from Spanish, as "unfortunate" and added, "THE SUICIDE OF ARMANDO VEGA-GIL IS RESPONSIBILITY OF ARMANDO VEGA-GIL."
