



Armando Vega Gil, bass player and co-founder of the Mexican rock band Botellita de Jerez, killed himself on Monday, after being accused of sexually abusing a minor. He was 64.

The Reuters news agency reports that his body was found at his home in Mexico City by local authorities. A representative for the band, Paola Hernandez said that she spoke to him by phone at 2a.m., approximately two hours before his death.

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Before he died, Vega Gil posted a suicide message on Twitter. He strongly denying the accusations that had been made anonymously via the @MeTooMusicaMX account on Twitter.

“Let me make it clear that my death is not a confession of guilt, on the contrary it is a radical declaration of my innocence,” he wrote (in Spanish) on Twitter. “Don’t blame anyone for my death, this suicide is a voluntary, free and personal decision. Hasta pronto.” He said, given the power of social media, he believed that he would not be able to clear his name and that he wanted to make sure that his son’s life was not blighted by the accusations.

No se culpe a nadie de mi muerte: es un suicidio, una decisión voluntaria, consciente, libre y personal. #MeeToMusicosMexicanospic.twitter.com/pEXVf6beFn — Armando Vega Gil (@ArmandoVegaGil) April 1, 2019

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Vega Gil’s accuser said that the incident happened 13 years ago, when she was 13. She accused him of inviting her to his home, where his sexual advances allegedly included his offering to teach her how to kiss.

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