(Newser) – Just hours after Mexican singer Sergio "El Shaka" Vega denied reports he had been murdered, he was shot dead by a suspected drug crew on his way to a concert. The popular star was a Grupero or narcocorrido singer who extolled the exploits of drug barons and their crews, and was the target of threats by rival gangs. Gunmen in a truck opened fire on Vega's red cadillac in Sinaloa state, causing the singer to crash. The thugs then "finished Vega off" with shots to his head and chest, a passenger told a Mexican newspaper.



Earlier that day, Vega, 40, denied reports he was dead. "It's happened to me for years. Someone tells a radio station or a newspaper I've been killed, or suffered an accident," he said. "Then I have to call my dear mum, who has heart trouble, to reassure her." He said he was entrusting his fate to God. At least 7 Grupero musicians have been killed in the last 3 years by suspected drug hitmen, reports the BBC.

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