Filmmaker Leonardo Favio dies

Argentine filmmaker Leonardo Favio died today at the age of 74 after years of fighting a chronic disease. Favio had been admitted to Sanatorio Anchorena in the City of Buenos Aires, where he died.

Also a singer, actor, and screenwriter, he was one of the most successful Argentine singers in the 1960s and 1970s with big hits like "Fuiste mía un verano", "Ella, ella ya me olvidó", "Quiero aprender de memoria", "Ding, dong, las cosas del amor" and "La cita" and starred in many films.

He later became a film director; his brother is writer and director Jorge Zuhair Jury. He was married to Maria Vaner and had two kids, one being Leonardo Jury.

In 2010, Favio had been appointed Argentina's Ambassador of Culture by a presidential decree.

Favio's wake is being at the National Congress' "Salón de los Pasos Perdidos," the doors will remain opened all night long so people can say their last goodbye to the filmmaker.

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner attended Favio's wake by midnight.