Diomedes Díaz Maestre (26 May 1957 – 22 December 2013) was a Colombian vallenato singer, songwriter, and composer. His nickname, "El Cacique de la Junta" ("The Chieftain of La Junta"), was given to him by another vallenato singer, Rafael Orozco Maestre, in honor to Díaz's birthplace. Diomedes Díaz is the biggest record seller in the history of vallenato, exceeding 20 million throughout his career, due to this, he was awarded with gold, platinum and diamond records, unique in Colombia until 2008. In 2010 he won the Latin Grammy in the "Cumbia / Vallenato category". Loved and idolized by many, Diomedes' followers adopted the nickname "diomedistas", while Diomedes called them his "fanaticada". His personal life was marked by family instability, controversial friendships, ups and downs with the consumption of alcohol and drugs, accidents, financial and legal problems, especially the death under strange circumstances of Doris Adriana Niño. Biography First Years Diomedes Díaz was born and raised on a farm called "Carrizal" on the outskirts of La Junta Township that belongs to the Municipality of San Juan del Cesar, La Guajira. His father, Rafael María Díaz, and his mother, Elvira Maestre, were poor. His childhood was spent helping his parents and eight brothers with farm duties, while he was musically influenced by his locally renowned uncle, Martín Elías. First compositions According to the journalist Alberto Salcedo Ramos, when Diomedes was a child, he acted as a scarecrow to protect the cornfields from birds and, to avoid getting bored, he sang and exchanged songs as a barter with indigenous people from the neighboring farm in exchange for coffee. Diomedes' first love, a young woman named Helida, was the one who inspired him to compose his first songs. Diomedes was also trying to dabble in singing, but by way of derision he obtained the nickname "El chivato" (the little goat) for his voice during puberty. He also learned to play the guacharaca and sing verses. Eventually, his uncle decided to help him train his voice and compose songs; Diomedes mastered his vocal training and was invited to perform at parties. From Carrizal he was taken to Villanueva to study in elementary school at the "Liceo Colombia". During his stay in Villanueva, a childhood friend accidentally stoned him in the right eye while trying to get mangoes from a tree, he lost the sight in the affected eye. Diomedes worked as a gardener to help