16, 1992, by unidentified assailants, presumably hours after a performance at the Salon Bugambilias in Culiacán. Early life Rosalino Sánchez Félix was born on "Las Flechas", a small ranch in Sinaloa. He was the youngest of seven children. His parents were Santos Sanchez (?–1964) and Senorina Felix (?–1991). Chalino grew up poor and lived a difficult life. His sister, Juana, called him a curious and mischievous child who always dreamed about becoming a singer. His birth name was Rosalino, but he preferred his nickname Chalino since Rosalino sounded too feminine for Sanchez. In 1975 when he was 15, his sister was raped. Two years later in 1977, a 17-year-old Chalino saw the man at a party and allegedly shot him in revenge, killing him. After committing this act, Sanchez left for Tijuana with his gun and a Jesús Malverde chain. During his time in Tijuana, he worked as a "coyote" (an immigrant smuggler), taking immigrants into the United States. The same year, Chalino himself crossed into the United States as an undocumented migrant worker. He began in Oregon and later moved to Los Angeles to live with his aunt in Inglewood, California. He washed dishes, sold cars, and, according to his friends, dealt small quantities of marijuana and cocaine. He also helped his older brother, Armando, run an immigrant-smuggling operation. Chalino met Marisela Vallejos through his cousin, Rosalba; in 1984 they married in a simple and intimate wedding. They married with their son, Adán Sánchez, on the way and had a second child, Cynthia Sanchez. They were married until Chalino Sanchez's death in 1992. In 1984, Armando was shot and killed in a hotel in Tijuana, which inspired Chalino to compose his first corrido or ballad. Around this time, Chalino was arrested. He began composing songs for his fellow inmates and anyone with a story worth telling. Chalino began to earn money through his compositions and would be gifted with guns and 'presents' by his customers. Among his many customers were Lucio Villareal, El Pelavacas, and Jorge "El Coquio" Castro. A small group known as "Los Cuatro de la Frontera" recommended Chalino go to a recording studio in Olympic Boulevard in Los Angeles. The studio was called San Angel Records and was owned by Angel Mariscal. Originally another artist was meant to sing Chalino's songs, but he canceled, so Chalino sang his own songs. In 1989, Chalino recorded his first