Fans come together in huge crowds to bid farewell to 'Indio' Solari

Thousands of people gathered in Buenos Aires' Plaza de Mayo on Friday, waving flags and singing songs as they paid tribute to rock legend 'Indio' Solari, who died earlier that morning aged 77.

The famous square was filled with fans jumping and singing in scenes resembling one of the musician's famous concerts. Some wiped away tears while others carried banners bearing the names of their neighbourhoods.

"Indio is the story of my life. My life has been marked by songs that were always playing at home," said Mariana Rutiniani, a 36-year-old advertising executive.

Solari was found dead on Friday morning by his carer at his home in Parque Leloir, around 30 kilometres west of Buenos Aires.

According to preliminary reports, prosecutors believe he suffered a stroke that caused his death "immediately" while he was in his swimming pool. Authorities stressed that further evidence is still required to confirm the exact cause of death.

The singer and songwriter fronted Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota, often known simply as Los Redondos, one of Argentina's most influential rock bands. The group was active between 1976 and 2001.

Solari had lived with Parkinson's disease for at least a decade.

Beyond Friday's spontaneous gathering, the artist's official social media accounts announced that a public wake would be held on Saturday, with the location yet to be confirmed.

His songs, renowned for their poetic lyrics, became anthems for a generation of Argentines who flocked to concerts by Los Redondos and later followed his solo career.

Those gatherings, known as "misas ricoteras,” became a cultural phenomenon. Built largely through word of mouth and outside the commercial music circuit, they drew huge crowds from across the country.

Solari wrote some of national rock's most celebrated songs, including 'Ji ji ji', 'La bestia pop' and 'Un poco de amor francés.' Despite his fame, he maintained a low profile and rarely gave interviews.

"I have no fear of death. I think about it in poetic terms. I live the same way I did when I was 20: in the present," he told Urbana Play radio in what would be his final interview last December.

'Much more than an artist'

Tributes poured in almost immediately following news of his death.

Guitarist Eduardo 'Skay' Beilinson, Solari's long-time bandmate in Los Redondos, described it as "a very sad day" in a post on Instagram.

"I carry you in every memory, in every song from yesterday. With immense pain. Safe travels, my dear friend, until we meet again. Now you are the light travelling among us forever," Beilinson wrote, setting aside the differences that led to the band's split in the early 2000s.

Argentina national football team captain Lionel Messi shared a photograph of the singer on Instagram alongside the message: "Always in our hearts. Rest in peace."

"It is an important loss for Argentina and we are deeply saddened," national team coach Lionel Scaloni told reporters.

Across 10 studio albums with Los Redondos, Solari built a lyrical universe influenced by cinema and literature, blending social criticism with dense metaphors.

"It was much more than an artist. He was an Argentine hero. He gave voice, ideas and poetry to many generations," said Buenos Aires Province Governor Axel Kicillof.

Former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner shared a photograph of Solari accompanied by a line from one of his songs: ‘Vivir solo cuesta vida’ ("Living alone costs life").

"He was the leader of one of Argentina's most important tribes," wrote fellow rock icon Fito Páez on X.

While Solari and Los Redondos never achieved the same international reach as bands such as Soda Stereo, their influence inside Argentina was immense.

His concerts became famous for what fans and Solari himself described as the world's largest "pogo" – a vast mass of people jumping in unison to the music.

The scale of those events sometimes overwhelmed organisers. At Solari's final concert in 2017, an estimated crowd of 300,000 people – roughly double the expected attendance – triggered a deadly crush that left two people dead and several others hospitalised.

As a solo artist, Solari released five studio albums between 2004 and 2018.