I am a scoundrel, I am a gentleman (1978) is the song that is most often identified with Julio Iglesias. The most successful Latin artist in history and who holds the record for having sold the most albums in the most languages turns 80, or 61. Although it is true that he was born in Madrid on September 23, 1943, on September 22, 1962 he returned to be born. That night he celebrated his 19th birthday in advance with his friends and the car he was traveling in went off the road. The most affected was Julio, who according to the medical report, his chances of walking again were practically zero.
Life Stays the Same (1968) was his first success. She composed it during her long convalescence with the guitar that a nurse gave her so she could exercise her fingers and put music to the poems he wrote in bed. Until the day of the accident, his future was in law and in Real Madrid, where he played as a goalkeeper from the youth ranks and that season he had already been promoted to the first team. But no matter how much success he had obtained in these two professions, nothing would have been comparable to the fame and fortune that Julio Iglesias has achieved as a singer.
Gwendoline (1970) was the song with which he came fourth in the Eurovision Song Contest and the name of one of his first romantic relationships. He met her in England, where once he recovered from the accident, Julio went to study English and sang in a pub on weekends. The rumor mill attributes about 3,000 women to Julio Iglesias, but apart from his two wives (Isabel Preysler and Miranda Rijnsburger), his official girlfriends have been Sydney Rome, Giannina Faccio, Virginia Sipl (La Flaca) and Vaitiare Hirshon.
Hey! (1981) her first big global success was directed at her ex-wife Isabel Preysler (“don't go bragging around, saying I can't be without you...”). The couple married in 1970 and divorced in 1978. They had three children Chabeli (1971), Julio José (1973) and Enrique (1975). The oldest worked as a presenter and now lives retired. The second is a singer and is very present in the media. And Enrique is a musical star, although with a very different style than his father.
From Girl to Woman (1983) he dedicated it to his first-born daughter shortly after the three children went to live with him in Miami. In January 1982, Julio Iglesias' father, a gynecologist by profession and to whom he has always been very close, was released by the police after three weeks kidnapped by ETA. Upon learning that his children were also threatened, the singer decided to take them away from Spain, where they lived.
To all the girls I've loved before (1984) was the song she sang as a duet with Willy Nelson and her consecration in the American market after triumphing in Europe, Asia and South America. She was a regular guest at White House receptions, recorded with Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder and Frank Sinatra, and was even the star in charge of presenting the most important Grammy to Michael Jackson.
I Forgot to Live (1978) is one of his biggest hits, although Johnny Hallyday recorded it before him. Julio was one of the first to admit having suffered from depression. In 1990 he met Miranda Rijsburger, 22 years his junior, and with whom he has shared his life since then in the residences of Punta Cana, Bahamas and Ojén, where they married in 2010. They have five children Miguel (1997), Rodrigo (1999 ), the twins Victoria and Cristina (2001) and Guillermo (2007), who lead discreet lives.
Me va, me va (1984) is one of his songs that best portrays him, but with the pandemic he canceled his concert tour and has barely been seen. Some photos on a beach in the Dominican Republic where he was walking helped by two maids raised alarm bells about his health. Neither his 80th birthday nor his invitation to inaugurate the new Santiago Bernabeu stadium for his beloved team have brought him out of retirement. A few months ago he announced on social media that he was writing his memoirs. Highly anticipated by everyone and especially by Javier Sánchez Santos (47) who has been fighting for years for the singer to recognize his paternity.
