Juan Lanfranco —full name Juan De La Cruz Lanfranco, born in Cotuí, Sánchez Ramírez, on 24 November 1951, died in Santo Domingo on 12 November 2018— was a Dominican balada singer and one of the era’s most prolific songwriters for other artists, best remembered for «El Amor Es Libre».

A stand-in who stayed

As a boy in Cotuí he happened to pass by a rehearsal of La Orquesta Universal, directed by the trumpeter and teacher Miguel Emilio Peña, just as its lead singer had failed to show up; asked to fill in, he left everyone in awe. He went on to study singing and composition locally and later at the National Conservatory of Music, and recorded his first song, the self-written «Aunque Tú Te Vayas», with the same orchestra, before also performing in programs alongside Rafael Solano.

New York, and the first Dominican at Madison Square Garden

He moved to New York in 1974, recording five albums with Primitivo Santos’s orchestra; his album «Poema» earned him a gold record, presented to him at Madison Square Garden, making him the first Dominican artist to perform on that stage. He later also played with José Meriño’s orchestra.

«El Amor Es Libre», Argentina and Mexico

Going solo, he recorded what became arguably his most important song, «El Amor Es Libre», while in Argentina, earning recognition across Latin America. In Mexico he built connections with José José and Juan Gabriel, an experience that inspired «Delirante Amor» — a hit for both Fernando Villalona and himself — and «Te Siento». After a brief stay in Spain, he returned to the Dominican Republic in the early 1980s to introduce his catalogue to his own country.

A songwriter for others

As a composer he wrote hits for other artists, including Milly Quezada’s «Tengo Derecho», Johnny Ventura’s «El Cachimbito», Wilfrido Vargas’s «La Carta», and Raulín Rosendo’s «Llegó la Ley».

Legacy

Despite his success, Lanfranco kept a reputation for humility, known to sit and talk with anyone in his hometown streets. In his final years he suffered from bronchopneumonia, heart problems and diabetes, and was reportedly turned away from several Santo Domingo hospitals for lacking health insurance before being treated at a private clinic in October 2017. He died of pulmonary edema on 12 November 2018 at the Francisco Moscoso Puello Hospital in Santo Domingo, and Cotuí’s municipal council declared two days of mourning.