2 New Singers Step Up To Help The Mavericks After Raul Malo’s Death
on May 07, 2026
The Mavericks’ Lead Singer Raul Malo Passed Away In December 2025
Fans of The Mavericks were heartbroken when the band announced that their frontman, Raul Malo, died on December 8, 2025.
Malo, who co-founded the Grammy-winning country music group, shared in June 2024 that he had been diagnosed with cancer. A few months later, he specified that he’d been diagnosed with leptomeningeal disease, otherwise known as LMD.
The Cleveland Clinic describes LMD as:
“…cancer in your cerebrospinal fluid and in your leptomeninges, the membranes that surround your brain and spinal cord. It happens when an advanced cancer spreads from part of your body to your cerebrospinal fluid and leptomeninges.”
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Malo’s death devastated his bandmates, who remembered him as “a force of human nature, with an infectious energy.”
“Though his earthly body may have passed, Raul’s spirit will live on forever in heaven, and here on earth through the music, joy, and light he brought forth. His contributions to American and Latin music will be everlasting, as his songs and voice touched fans and fellow artists around the world,” The Mavericks wrote in a tribute they shared to Malo on social media.
The Mavericks Introduce 2 New Vocalists Joining The Band
After Malo died, many wondered if the Mavericks would continue performing. They shared their answer on Tuesday (May 5), when they announced their new tour.
The Mavericks & Friends will kick off The Music Lives On tour in July with two back-to-back shows in Kansas City, Missouri. The trek will continue through the summer and into the fall, ending on November 14 in Madison, Wisconsin.
The Mavericks extended their “deepest thanks” to those who’ve shared their love and support for the band since Malo’s death. “We can personally tell you that Raul and his family were certainly aware of how much we, and you, all loved him,” they wrote.
The band continued:
“The immeasurable loss of our leader, friend and irreplaceable brother Raul has been as difficult as you can imagine. We know that we can never replace Raul… but we can still, in bold spirit, continue to play this joyous music, and celebrate The Mavericks’ legacy together.”
They’ll be celebrating that legacy alongside two new vocalists who’ve stepped up to help the band on their upcoming tour: James Otto and Emily West.
Otto is a country star known for his signature song “Just Got Started Lovin’ You,” which was the #1 country hit of 2008.
“I believe in my heart Raul would want the band and the music he spent a lifetime creating to play on,” Otto said in a press release cited by The Miami New Times. “I’m really looking forward to playing all this incredible music and meeting all the fans out on tour.”
West, also a country artist, was the runner-up on Season 9 of America’s Got Talent in 2014. A few years prior, she released a duet with Keith Urban, titled “Blue Sky,” which peaked at #38 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
Both Otto and West participated in a pair of tribute shows honoring Malo at the Ryman Auditorium in 2025. Tune in to the video below to watch West sing The Mavericks’ “I Should Have Been True” at one of those shows.
Tickets for The Music Lives On tour go on sale on Friday, May 8, at 10 AM.
