Who were the original band members of Menudo? Adrian Olivares dies of health issues aged 48

Former member of the boy band Menudo, Adrian Olivares, 48, passed away on July 8, 2024. While the group underwent several changes in members over the years, the original ones included brothers Fernando and Nefty Sallaberry along with Carlos, Oscar, and Ricky Melendez.

Adrian was battling with Crohn's disease for a week, which eventually led to his demise. His death was first announced by another band member Robert Avellanet through Instagram, where he added a photo of Olivares. The post, after being translated to English, reads:

"Iam still in shock! Strength to his family. Happy transition to your soul. I'll always remember his great sense of humor. We will meet there brother. RIP Adrian."

Menudo also shared a black-and-white picture of Olivares, writing that he was their 23rd member who remained an important part of the group from 1990 to 1993. They stated that Adrian's legacy will remain forever in everyone's hearts.

A GoFundMe page was also launched to help Adrian's family cover the expenses of his funeral and their future. A portion of the page description says that the donations shall be sent to Adrian's wife and further details related to the funeral shall be revealed soon. It also stated:

"As many of you know Adrian was an amazing father to his 3 daughters Eliana (18), and twins Lia and Lilly (8). Please if you can donate it would be appreciated as the family does not have the means to give Adrian his final goodbye and help these girls with all their necessary expenses."

The page aims to collect $15,000 and donations of more than $11,000 have been made, as of this writing.

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Menudo's original band members established themselves in different fields over the years

The Puerto Rico-based group has been active since the 70s and released many successful albums. The main mastermind behind the band was music producer Edgardo Diaz, who has been involved with a lot of controversies after being charged with s*xual abuse and other severe allegations.

Accusations about the administration were also made by former members of the group, including those by Angelo Garcia, who was 11 years old when he joined the band. The incident was additionally featured in a documentary titled Menudo: Forever Young on HBO Max, where he recalled that he once passed out and later discovered that he was s*xually assaulted. He continued:

"I had, like, these burn marks on my face from the rug … I was very confused and didn't understand."

As mentioned, the original lineup of Menudo included five members. The whereabouts of brothers Fernando and Nefty remain unknown for now, alongside Oscar Melendez.

While the other two members also became popular for their association with Menudo over the years, they later decided to pursue a different profession.

Ricky Melendez is currently a lawyer and although he previously tried to establish himself as a businessman, the efforts turned out to be a failure. The 54-year-old is also a father of two children from his marriage to a woman named Miriam "Muneca" Calderin.

Furthermore, Carlos Melendez has been living in Florida for a long time and is now an architect. He is 57 years old as of 2024, and detailed information about his personal life remains unavailable for now.

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Menudo's debut album, Los Fantasmas, came out back in 1977. They slowly became famous for other projects such as Xanadu, Una aventura Ilamada Menudo, Reaching Out, and more.