Pocho La Pantera

He died at age 65 on November 1, 2016 as a result of renal carcinoma. He was hospitalized for a week in serious condition in the IMAC (high-complexity Medical Institute). On 21 October he published his last message on the social networking site Twitter: "Recuerden esto: ustedes me dieron todo. Gracias por el aguante." (in English: "Remember this: you gave me everything. Thank you for the support.")

His confession to his drug addiction and his eternal struggle with this problem determined, for several years on television media, his image. In 2015, photographs of him naked with tanned skin became popular on the internet and Whatsapp among young audiences.

A convert to evangelicalism, he married Viviana Basilia («La Griega»). Pastor Giménez, one of the best-known Evangelical pastors in Argentina, officiated his wedding. Although his passage by the Evangelical Church was rather short, he managed to record a cassette, two CDs and a video (VHS). In 2013, he recorded an advertisement for Pepsi company next to Argentine footballer Ezequiel Lavezzi.

He took his first steps in music in the 1980s. Along with Ricky Maravilla [es] , Alcides, Lía Crucet [es] , Gladys la bomba tucumana [es] and Gilda, he was a benchmark in the genre of the cumbia in Argentina. He wrote songs such as "El hijo de Cuca", "Bailando con la gorda", "A mover el esqueleto", "La arañita", "Señorita diga quien es", "Cantinero le bajo la caña", "Me dicen la pantera", "Comprale un choripan", among many others.

Ernesto Gauna (29 November 1950, Buenos Aires, Argentina – 1 November 2016, Buenos Aires), known professionally as Pocho La Pantera (Spanish: Pocho the Panther), was an Argentine master of ceremonies, actor, singer of Argentine cumbia, and author of successes such as El hijo de Cuca (1990), Me dicen la pantera (1991) and El paso de la fiesta (2016).