Tributes have been paid to former X Factor star Zair Guette after he was kidnapped, tortured and murdered after leaving a concert.
Guette was found dead in a remote part of Colombia on February 14. The 25-year-old singer was gagged and his hands and feet were bound.
Forensic pathologists believe he sustained multiple blows to his body and had bullet wounds among other injuries. Officials say he had been shot in the head.
His manager, Teddy Vergara Álvarez, was found seriously injured nearby. Vergara claimed armed men intercepted them after they left a concert.
He believes he survived the attack by playing dead. Vergara was taken from the scene in Barranco Bajo to a hospital in nearby Ginebra before being transferred to a larger facility in Buga, reports the Mirror.
Guette, a native of Barranquilla, enjoyed a significant fanbase with over 175,000 followers on Instagram. His journey to fame began serendipitously when his grandfather overheard him singing in the shower.
He began singing Mexican folk songs before touring around the likes of Italy and Spain. He found fame in his native Colombia after starring in reality TV shows “An Otro Nivel”, “El Factor X”, and “Yo Me Llamo”.
Guette left judges on El Factor X – a spin-off of the X Factor – speechless when he auditioned in 2021. Writing on social media, his sister Saray Guette said: “They took you from us, and with you, they stole the happiness of an entire family.
“They’ve left us with an eternal sorrow in our hearts and music because I can proudly say you took regional Mexican music to great heights. You achieved so much, not even counting everything you still had planned.”
Officials continue to investigate Guette’s death. According to Clarin, Rubén Darío Gaitán Camelo, commander of the Buga District, said: “The National Police of the municipality of Ginebra was alerted about the discovery of a person who had gunshot wounds and who was in the district of Barranco Alto.”
Social media has become a platform for fans to pay homage to the late musician. Andres Sanchez expressed his sorrow, saying: “My God, how sad there will never be a voice like that in Colombia.”
Another fan echoed the sentiment of loss: “How it hurts, with so much future ahead.”
A third tribute read: “Rest in peace, I am very sorry for your departure.”
Diego Jiminez praised the artist’s potential: “Tremendous artist, tremendous future he had, you were great, Zair, But you were going to be much bigger, RIP my friend.”
El Factor X, which premiered in Colombia in 2005 as Latin America’s inaugural version of Simon Cowell’s renowned TV talent show, has completed five seasons to date. Since The X Factor’s launch in 2004, approximately 50 international editions have been produced, with The X Factor Global YouTube channel boasting around three million subscribers.
