Valentín Elizalde Valencia (1 February 1979 – 25 November 2006)

Valentín Elizalde Valencia (1 February 1979 – 25 November 2006) was a Mexican banda music singer gunned down in an ambush. Known by the nickname "El Gallo de Oro" (The Golden Rooster), his biggest Banda hits included "Vete Ya," "Ebrio de Amor", " Vete Con Él", "Vuelve Cariñito", "Cómo Me Duele", "Vencedor", " Mi Virgencita", and "Soy Así". Some of his songs were narcocorridos eulogizing Mexican drug lords like Vicente Carrillo Fuentes. He was allegedly murdered at the age of 27 by a member of the drug trafficking gang Los Zetas, which at that time served as the armed wing of the Gulf Cartel. Elizalde was born in the city of Navojoa, Sonora. He then moved to Guadalajara, Jalisco and later to Guasave, Sinaloa where he, his father (also a singer), Everardo "Lalo" Elizalde, nicknamed "El Gallo" (The Rooster), and brothers resided for a few years. His father died in a car accident on the so-called "Curva de la muerte" (Curve of Death) in the city of Villa Juárez, Sonora. On 25 November 2006, Elizalde’s vehicle was gunned down shortly after leaving a concert in Reynosa, Tamaulipas. Elizalde was killed, along with his chauffeur and his assistant. It is widely believed that Elizalde was killed due to his concert performance of “A Mis Enemigos”, which contains lyrics believed to antagonize drug trafficking gang Los Zetas. Raúl Hernández Barrón, alleged murderer of Elizalde and member of Los Zetas, was arrested on 22 March 2008, in Coatzintla, Veracruz.