Former Santana Singer Alex Ligertwood Dies at 79

Alex Ligertwood, former vocalist and guitarist for Santana , has died at the age of 79.

He was a member of the Santana group for multiple stints from 1979 to 1994, recording the albums Marathon , Zebop! , Shangó , Beyond Appearances , Spirits Dancing in the Flesh and Milagro with the band as well as the live album Sacred Fire: Live in South America . His time with Santana also included their performance at Live Aid in 1985.

His wife and agent Shawn Brogan said:

“It’s with great sadness and heartache to announce the passing of my sweet dear Alex Ligertwood, my husband of 25 years, we knew each other for 36 years. Alex passed peacefully in his sleep with his doggy Bobo by his side yesterday.

Alex was loved by so many. If you knew him, you loved him. He touched so many with his extraordinary voice. He was all heart and soul. His favorite thing in life was to make music, sing and to share his gift with us. He performed his last show just two weeks ago. I’m grateful for that. He did it his way, on his terms, till the end.”

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The singer worked with a number of notable acts over the years, including the Jeff Beck Group, the Dregs, Average White Band, and Go Ahead, a short-lived side project of the Grateful Dead’s Bill Kreutzmann and Brent Mydland.

Related Video

Our condolences go out to Alex Ligertwood’s family, friends, and bandmates during this difficult time. Watch him performing with Santana in the videos below.

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_Originally reported by [Consequence](https://consequence.net/2026/05/alex-ligertwood-former-singer-santana-dead/)._