Pedro Suárez Vértiz
Pedro Martín José María Suárez-Vértiz Alva (13 February 1969 – 28 December 2023) was a Peruvian musician and singer-songwriter. He founded the popular rock band Arena Hash with his brother Patricio, Arturo Pomar Jr., and Christian Meier in 1987. A few years later, the band disbanded, and Suárez-Vértiz began his solo career. Pedro Suárez-Vertiz is widely considered a legend of Peruvian rock, and is recognized by Billboard as an "icon of Peruvian rock".
His musical passion grew early in his life, first introduced by his father with a piano which became his first musical instrument. He grew a love of singing after being influenced by the movie, A Hard Day's Night, which featured the famous band, The Beatles. He began playing guitar in primary school, forming his first band known as Paranoia, which later developed to become the popular Arena Hash.
Suárez-Vértiz was well known for his multitudinous concerts, his vocal rhythm, his extensive guitar collection, his abstinence from alcohol and tobacco, philanthropy, and personality. In 2020, BIllboard magazine named his hit song Los Globos Del Cielo as number 14 on the list of The 25 Timeless Masterpieces of Rock in Spanish. His albums Póntelo en la Lengua and Ponerme a Volar are among the best-selling albums in Perú.
Suárez-Vértiz was the winner of Orgullosamente Latino 2004 (Proudly Latin 2004) and was also awarded Best Latin Soloist of the Year in Mexico that same year. He worked as a columnist in the newspaper El Comercio and published his book: Yo, Pedro. After being diagnosed with progressive bulbar palsy in 2011, he moved away from singing, as it had caused speech difficulties. He died on 28 December, 2023, at the age of 54 due to cardiac arrest.
Similar Artists