Flaco Jiménez, the legendary Tejano accordionist whose career spanned seven decades, has died at the age of 86.

“One way to look at it: Leonardo ‘Flaco’ Jimenez is our ‘Satchmo,’ the Alamo City’s Louis Armstrong,” Hector Saldaña wrote in 2019. “Both men pioneered distinct musical forms tied to their region, culture, race and ethnicity—and brought it to the world. Armstrong did it with his trumpet; Jimenez with a squeezebox.”

Legendary Tejano musician Leonardo “Flaco” Jiménez passed away on Thursday, July 31, 2025, his family announced on social media.