Home / Arts and Entertainment / Abuse, Imprisonment, and Triumph: The Extraordinary Life of Singer-Songwriter Juan Gabriel
Abuse, Imprisonment, and Triumph: The Extraordinary Life of Singer-Songwriter Juan Gabriel
1 Nov
Summary
- Juan Gabriel was molested by a priest as a child
- He had a troubled past as a juvenile delinquent, arrested multiple times
- Despite his difficult upbringing, he became one of Latin music's most prolific artists
In October 2025, Netflix premiered a four-part docuseries titled "Juan Gabriel: I Must, I Can, I Will," which delves into the extraordinary life of the late Mexican pop icon. The series reveals that Juan Gabriel, who passed away in 2016, had a troubled past that included being molested by a priest as a child and a history of juvenile delinquency.
The docuseries states that as a minor, Gabriel "had already been to court three times" – at age 17 for stealing money from a purse, at 16 for allegedly stealing perfumes in Ciudad Juárez, and that same year for obstructing a police officer. When he was 20 years old, Gabriel was wrongfully accused of theft and imprisoned in Lecumberri, Mexico City's toughest and most feared prison.
Despite these challenges, Gabriel went on to become one of Latin music's most prolific and successful artists. He scored 20 Top 10 hits and seven No. 1s on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart, and his 1984 album "Recuerdos, Vol. II" became Mexico's all-time best-selling album, with 8 million copies sold at the time of his death. Gabriel received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2002 and was mourned by political leaders and fellow musicians upon his passing.
