Mexican protest singer Oscar Chávez dies of virus

One of Mexico’s best-known protest singers, Oscar Chávez, died on Thursday at age 85 after being infected with the coronavirus.

The State Workers' Social Security Institute said he died of complications from COVID-19 after he was hospitalised on Tuesday with symptoms.

It said Chávez had “evident respiratory difficulty” and had a chronic lung condition, adding he tested positive for the virus and succumbed to related pneumonia.

Chávez was best known for folk-style songs lampooning Mexico’s corrupt political elite.

One such song was “La Casita” (“The Little House"), which described an imaginary politician’s mansion.

Chávez sang ballads since the 1960s and played in public as recently as 2019.

Mexico has reported 19,224 confirmed coronavirus cases and 1,859 deaths.