Mexicans celebrate 50-year career of 'ranchera' king Vicente Fernandez

With lively songs and cheers, fans of Mexico's famed "King of the Ranchera," Vicente Fernandez, came out to pay tribute to the star's 50-year career. Fernandez is considered a folk hero in Mexico, and has attracted a huge following in other Latin American countries as well. He is also considered the ideal Mexican crooner.

He has won countless awards during a career spanning five decades and released more than 100 albums and appeared in some 25 motion pictures. Extensive sombreros, intricately embroidered mariachi suits, a stark black beard and a rich tenor give him the perfect persona for singing traditional Mexican songs of love and loss.