Juan José Rodríguez “El Puma Jr.,” who was reportedly the son of José Luis Rodríguez “El Puma,” died on the morning of October 11 at the age of 53, his alleged half-sisters Lilibeth and Liliana Morillo confirmed, via their respective Instagrams -Accounts.
“As a family, we share the painful and unfortunate news of the death of Juan José Rodríguez ‘El Puma’ Jr. in Pereira, Colombia,” he wrote alongside a video with photos of them appearing together.
The singer noted: “ The causes of his death are still unknown and the relevant investigations will be carried out.”
Lilibeth asked for “respect in this difficult time that we are going through as a family” and assured that “we will honor your life and your memory, our beloved Juan José Puma Jr.,” she concluded in her message.
Juan José Rodríguez “El Puma Jr” has died.
Photo credit: Liliana Morillo/Instagram
Who is the supposedly unknown son of “El Puma”?
Juan José Rodríguez, known as “El Puma Jr.”, was originally from Caracas, Venezuela. As a singer and producer, he dedicated himself to the world of entertainment.
The alleged son of the singer spoke about his origins in several interviews: “Legally I have the surname, I am recognized by an uncle, Oswaldo Rodríguez, his brother,” said Juan José in an interview for the Dominican program “SOS Hoy”. with Deyanira Martínez in 2019.
José Luis Rodríguez “El Puma” also spoke about it, in an interview for El Tiempo de Colombia in 1995 he stated: “This boy is the son of a brother (Oswaldo) who is in Venezuela. My brother Oswaldo is very much in love.” And He told me that he recognized the boy. If he’s part of the family, it makes me happy. If my brother recognized him, that means he has the last name. If you want to sing and live your life like that, you are very welcome.
The actor’s alleged son also pointed out in 2018 that he was raised by “El Puma’s” mother, who gave him the nickname “Pumita” as a child. Likewise, he explained that he has a close relationship with the singer’s first wife, Lila Morillo, and his daughters Liliana and Lilibeth.
“We had a very nice relationship when he was married to Lila. My grandmother strengthened the family unit. And the Morillos and the Rodríguezes came together and we shared,” he recalled.
Juan José Rodríguez added in this interview that he had a career as a singer for more than 35 years and, in addition to being dedicated to music, he was also a businessman, as he owned a wine brand called El Puma Jr. Wines.