LULAC Remembers Trini Lopez
Nation’s Oldest and Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Mourns the Passing of America’s Latino Troubadour
Washington, DC - The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) today grieves the passing of Trinidad Lopez III, who rose from Dallas, Texas high school dropout and teenage musician to become known simply as Trini Lopez, the always smiling Hollywood rat pack superstar actor and singer.
“We lost a great musical legend and a wonderful friend,” says Domingo Garcia, National President. “Here was a Latino performer ahead of his time who used his talents of voice and guitar to forever emblazon in us the songs, ‘If I had a hammer’ and ‘This land is your land” to champion the rights of the oppressed and the downtrodden. Long after he had outgrown his difficult youth and risen above poverty, Trini never forgot where he came from and this is why he was so beloved by people of all backgrounds,” he adds.
Lopez died Tuesday evening in Palm Springs, California at the age of 83 from complications related to COVID-19. His business partner, Joe Chavira said Lopez never stopped working up until the very end. They had just finished a new song, “If by Now” which Chavira said Lopez was intending to use to raise money for food banks to help people hit hard by the pandemic and ironically, Lopez died a victim of the coronavirus.
“What other Latino could say he hung out with Frank Sinatra, starred in the movie Dirty Dozen, which won four Academy Awards, and he still felt at home with his own community?” asks Garcia. “I found him to be down-to-earth, an artist who cared deeply about his culture and used his talent to fight injustice, discrimination and exclusion in his own way reaching millions in the process. He was told that to make it in Hollywood, he had to change his name but Trini said NO. He was a proud Lopez and Mexicano!” he added.
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About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit https://lulac.org/