The death of Carlos Alberto “Indio” Solari, which occurred on Friday, June 5, at the age of 77, provoked one of the most massive demonstrations of popular mourning in recent years in Argentina. The historic leader of Patricio Rey and his Ricotta Rounds He died at his residence in Parque Leloir, in the Buenos Aires district of Ituzaingó. As determined by the forensic studies ordered by the intervening prosecutor’s office, the musician suffered a hemorrhagic stroke that caused his immediate death. The autopsy ruled out drowning and confirmed that the blow to the head was a consequence of the fall caused by the vascular episode. The artist had been living with Parkinson’s disease for a decade, a diagnosis that he had made public in 2016 and that had kept him from performing in person.
The news broke on Friday morning and quickly became the central topic of the weekend. Thousands of followers began to gather spontaneously in different parts of the country, especially in the Buenos Aires Obelisk, Plaza de Mayo, La Plata, Córdoba, Rosario and Mar del Plata. From musicians and cultural personalities to political leaders from different ideological spaces, but especially from Peronism, they publicly expressed their condolences. The magnitude of the impact reflected the unique place that Solari had occupied for decades within Argentine popular culture. The artist, together with his bands, managed to build a massive audience without depending on the major media or the traditional structures of the music industry.
During the first hours after the death, different scenarios for a public farewell were evaluated. The possibility of using facilities of the National Congress was even raised, but due to the enormous expected attendance, the legislative chamber rejected that option. Finally, the family and Buenos Aires authorities agreed to hold the wake at the José María Gatica Sports Center in Villa Domínico, Avellaneda district. The organization set up health posts, hydration points, chemical toilets, special traffic operations and a reinforced security scheme to contain the hundreds of thousands of people who were expected to attend.
The public farewell began on Sunday. Several hours before the official opening, long lines of fans could be seen stretching for numerous blocks around the venue. Entire families, groups of friends arriving from different provinces and historical followers of the so-called “ricotera mass” waited for hours to enter. Many carried Los Redondos flags, t-shirts with images of the musician, football club banners and banners with phrases taken from his songs. Throughout the day, collective songs, improvised acoustic versions and fragments of classics from the Ricotero repertoire performed by the attendees themselves were heard.
The influx of public exceeded the initial forecasts and forced the extension of the scheduled entry times. The lines continued for practically the entire day and moved slowly due to the controls and the large number of people who wanted to remain in front of the coffin for a few minutes. The authorities deployed medical and assistance teams to deal with minor decompensations resulting from long waits. Unlike other mass events historically associated with the ricotero universe, the farewell took place mostly in a climate of respect and meditation, with no serious incidents recorded that would alter the development of the funeral.
The images of the farewell showed a scene rarely seen in the recent history of Argentine rock. Men and women from different generations shared the same space to pay tribute to an artist whose work spanned more than four decades of Argentine cultural life. Many attendees remembered emblematic recitals of Patricio Rey and his Redonditos de Ricota and the Fundamentalists of Air Conditioning, while others recounted how Solari’s songs had accompanied decisive moments in their lives. The ceremony ended up becoming a collective expression of cultural identity that far exceeded the musical sphere.
Among the numerous people present, the participation of the photojournalist stood out. Pablo Grillo, who was seen taking a photographic survey of the popular farewell. Various records spread through the media and social networks showed him again with his camera documenting an event of enormous public relevance, just months after having been the protagonist of one of the most resonant cases linked to institutional violence against press workers.
Grillo had been seriously injured while covering a protest demonstration held near the National Congress. While photographing the incidents that occurred during the security operation deployed by federal forces, he was hit by a tear gas cartridge fired by police officers. The projectile hit his head directly, causing severe head trauma with multiple fractures and extremely serious intracranial injuries. The photographer was rushed to a healthcare center, where he had to undergo several neurosurgical interventions and remained hospitalized for a long period in intensive care.
According to the audiovisual reconstructions, expert reports incorporated into the case and the judicial investigation, the man identified as the author of the shot that seriously injured Grillo is the first corporal. Hector Jesus Guerreromember of Mobile Unit 6 of the National Gendarmerie. The investigation was led by Judge María Servini and prosecutor Eduardo Taiano. Subsequent expert reports also questioned the initial official version that maintained that the shot had respected protocols. Various reports concluded that the projectile was launched with a trajectory incompatible with the regulatory angles established for this type of anti-riot weaponry.
The episode generated a strong reaction from human rights organizations, journalistic associations and professional entities that demanded the clarification of the facts and the identification of those materially and politically responsible for the operation. The judicial investigation focused on determining the chain of command that authorized the procedure and identifying the officers involved in the shot that hit the photojournalist. The case advanced with the incorporation of images from security cameras, journalistic records and ballistic expert reports aimed at reconstructing the trajectory of the projectile.
The case became a symbol of the demands for greater guarantees for the exercise of journalism in coverage of social protest and once again occupied a prominent place during the funeral of Indio Solari, where many attendees recognized Grillo’s presence and valued his return to professional work after the complex recovery process he went through. Indio Solari’s farewell ended as an event of historic dimensions. The crowd that filled Villa Domínico came to pay tribute to one of the most influential, convening and representative figures of Argentine popular culture in recent decades and part of it was portrayed by Grillo. .
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