Zulian Singer and Cultural Director Omar Rojas Died After Heart Attack

Zulian singer and cultural director Omar Rojas died on the morning of Saturday, November 7, after suffering a heart attack.

Rojas died in Ciudad Ojeda, in the Venezuelan state of Zulia. He had accumulated more than 40 years of artistic career. He was known across the Costa Oriental del Lake for performing guarachas and other danceable music genres.

Alongside his music career, Rojas served as the director of culture for the Mayor’s Office of Lagunillas. He took on this municipal role in December 2021, using the position to promote local traditions and support emerging talent. In November 2024, the Teatro Baralt in Maracaibo awarded him two distinctions for his 45 years of work: the Luis Guillermo Vílchez Prize and the Chiquinquirá de Uranio Prize.

Over his decades in the regional music scene, Rojas co-founded the group Nueva Era alongside Luis Escaray and Jaime Indriago. He later formed his own ensemble, Omar Rojas y su Fiesta Brava, and recorded the track “Lo Daría Todo” with Argenis Carruyo.

Following his death, cultural sector representatives, artists, and municipal authorities offered condolences to his family. Prensa Mercosur reported that municipal sources and medical reports confirmed he died from a fulminant heart attack.

On Sunday, November 8, family, friends, and musicians gathered at the Uccol funeral parlor in Cabimas to bid him farewell. Singers Roberto González, Jaime Indriago, and Elvis Salgueiro attended the wake alongside Lagunillas Mayor José Mosquera. During the gathering, Roberto González and his son Danny Rojas performed guarachas near the casket.

A funeral procession traveled toward Ciudad Ojeda, stopping near the church in the Las Morochas sector for a community tribute. His burial is scheduled for Monday, November 9, at the municipal cemetery in Lagunillas.