Felipe Staiti, the founding lead guitarist of the Argentine rock band Enanitos Verdes and the last active member of its original lineup, died on April 13, 2026, at the Hospital Italiano in his hometown in Argentina. He was 64. His death was confirmed by the band on their official Instagram account and by Diego Gareca, Secretary of Culture of Mendoza, who called him "uno de los guitarristas más brillantes e irreemplazables" — one of the most brilliant and irreplaceable guitarists — of the province. The family announced there would be no wake or ceremony.
Who Was Felipe Staiti? The Soul of Enanitos Verdes and Mendoza Rock
Felipe Staiti was born on August 29, 1961, in Mendoza, the Argentine city at the foot of the Andes, whose vineyards and music scene both shaped him. He never left in any permanent sense — he was Mendocino to his bones, and the city's two great exports, wine and rock, were both threads in his life.
In 1979, at 17 years old, he co-founded Enanitos Verdes alongside Marciano Cantero and Daniel Piccolo. The name translates roughly to "Little Green Dwarves" — a playful title for a band that would grow into one of the most enduring and widely traveled acts in the history of Spanish-language rock. They began in Mendoza's underground circuit, playing venues and carrying copies of their recordings from city to city, pitching them to anyone who would listen. As Staiti himself recalled in a 2019 interview with La Nación: "Al principio, en los '80, hacíamos giras de conciertos y de promoción, porque íbamos con el disco abajo del brazo para ver si les interesaba editarlo. Todo era a pulmón." — At the beginning, in the '80s, we did concerts and promotional tours, because we went with the album under our arm to see if anyone was interested. Everything was done through sheer determination.
That determination carried the band from Mendoza's clubs to stadiums across Latin America, the United States, and Europe over four decades.
Felipe Staiti's Cause of Death: How Celiac Disease and Infection Led to His Passing
The cause of death for Felipe Staiti was a massive hemorrhage, according to Billboard's report on his death and multiple Argentine outlets, including Clarín, Los Andes, and Página 12. The hemorrhage was the final acute event in a health deterioration that had been ongoing since 2024.
The underlying conditions: in late 2024, after a Latin American tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of Enanitos Verdes' debut album, Felipe Staiti contracted a bacterial intestinal infection in Mexico. That infection caused severe dehydration and muscle loss. It was compounded by his pre-existing celiac disease — an autoimmune condition in which gluten damages the small intestine and interferes with nutrient absorption — which worsened his recovery and left him with ongoing health complications, including difficulties recovering his full vocal strength.
Despite his conditions, the guitarist performed at the Vive Latino festival in Mexico City on March 14, 2026 — his last public performance. Weeks later, he was admitted to the Hospital Italiano de Mendoza with a high fever following a tour. His condition deteriorated rapidly. He was transferred to intensive care, where he died from the hemorrhage on April 13, 2026.
His family requested no public wake or ceremony. The band's statement, posted on Enanitos Verdes on Instagram, read: "Con profundo dolor informamos el fallecimiento de nuestro querido Felipe Staiti. Su música, su entrega y su historia quedan para siempre con nosotros y con todos los que lo acompañaron a lo largo de estos años. — With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved Felipe Staiti. His music, his dedication, and his story will remain forever with us and with all those who have been by his side over the years.
The Enanitos Verdes Legacy: From Mendoza to 1 Billion Streams
Enanitos Verdes released 14 studio albums and 4 live records — including the celebrated Lamento Boliviano, the song that defined the band internationally — across a career spanning from 1979 to 2026. Their most famous song, "Lamento Boliviano," crossed one billion streams on Spotify in late March 2026 — a matter of weeks before Felipe Staiti's death — becoming the first Argentine rock song to reach that milestone. Other defining tracks include "La muralla verde," "Guitarras Blancas," and "Amigos."
The band's sound was defined by Felipe Staiti's lead guitar work — melodic, clean, built around riffs that were immediately recognizable across generations of Latin American listeners. Marciano Cantero's bass and vocals were equally central to the classic lineup, but Staiti's guitar set the sonic frame. When Cantero died in September 2022 from kidney failure, Felipe Staiti became the last original member standing and took on vocal duties as well as his lead guitar role, working to hold the project together in a period that could have ended the band's active existence.
He chose instead to keep going. He booked new tours, worked toward new recordings, and planned a joint U.S. tour for June and July 2026 with the Spanish group Hombres G. The band had also been developing an album of greatest-hits reimaginings with national and international guest artists. None of those projects reached completion.
Felipe Staiti Wines — The Winemaker Side of a Guitarist
Beyond music, Felipe Staiti built a parallel life in the wine business — appropriate for someone born in Mendoza, the heart of Argentina's wine country. He founded Felipe Staiti Wines, a venture focused on wine production in both Mendoza and Italy, which reflects the kind of cross-continental identity that Mendoza's wine culture has always carried — Argentine terroir, Italian heritage.
The project was a natural extension of his rootedness in Mendoza rather than a celebrity vanity label. He was a Mendocino who understood that the valley's wines and the valley's music were both products of the same soil and the same stubbornness. The brand has not released information about its future following his death.
The Last Member of the Original Lineup
His death closes a chapter in Argentine rock history with unusual finality. When Marciano Cantero died in 2022, Staiti became the sole surviving member of Enanitos Verdes' original 1979 formation alongside Piccolo (who had left the band earlier). Staiti's death means no active member of the founding lineup remains.
The band's manager, William Ramírez, wrote in a statement: "Con profundo pesar lamentamos el sensible fallecimiento de Felipe Staiti, histórico guitarrista de Enanitos Verdes, gran persona y amigo. Su talento, entrega y pasión por la música dejaron una huella imborrable en generaciones enteras y en la historia del rock en español. — With deep sorrow, we mourn the passing of Felipe Staiti, the legendary guitarist of Enanitos Verdes, a great person and friend. His talent, dedication, and passion for music left an indelible mark on entire generations and on the history of rock en español.
April 2026 has been a month of losses for performers who built careers over decades. Ronnie Bowman, the bluegrass singer behind Chris Stapleton's Grammy-winning "Nobody to Blame," died in a motorcycle accident in March 2026. Michael Patrick, the Belfast actor and playwright who played Richard III from a wheelchair, died April 7 from motor neurone disease at 35. Dolly Martinez, the My 600-Lb. Life Season 10 participant died April 12 at 30. Felipe Staiti, who outlasted his own band's founding lineup and kept performing through serious illness, died April 13 at 64 — the most experienced of a week's worth of losses, the last of a founding generation.
Felipe Staiti — Key Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Felipe Staiti |
| Born | August 29, 1961 — Mendoza, Argentina |
| Died | April 13, 2026 — Hospital Italiano de Mendoza, Argentina |
| Age at death | 64 |
| Cause of death | Massive hemorrhage — complications from bacterial infection (Mexico, 2024) and celiac disease |
| Band | Enanitos Verdes — co-founded 1979 |
| Role | Lead guitarist; vocalist (from 2022 onward after Marciano Cantero's death) |
| Last performance | Vive Latino festival, Mexico City, March 14, 2026 |
| Other project | Felipe Staiti Wines (Mendoza and Italy) |
| Felipe Staiti Trio | Instrumental/experimental side project |
| Discography | 14 studio albums, 4 live albums with Enanitos Verdes |
| Milestone | "Lamento Boliviano" crossed 1 billion Spotify streams — March 2026 |
| Funeral | No wake or ceremony — per family request |
| Original lineup | Co-founded with Marciano Cantero (d. 2022) and Daniel Piccolo |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who was Felipe Staiti?
Felipe Staiti was the lead guitarist and co-founder of the Argentine rock band Enanitos Verdes, born August 29, 1961, in Mendoza, Argentina. He co-founded the band in 1979 alongside Marciano Cantero and Daniel Piccolo and remained the final founding member to lead the group until his passing on April 13, 2026. He was 64. Beyond music, he founded Felipe Staiti Wines, a winemaking project in Mendoza and Italy.
Q: How did Felipe Staiti die? De qué murió Felipe Staiti?
The 64-year-old musician succumbed to a massive hemorrhage on April 13, 2026, at the Hospital Italiano de Mendoza, Argentina. The hemorrhage was the acute cause of death, resulting from a combination of a bacterial intestinal infection he contracted during a Mexico tour in 2024 and pre-existing celiac disease. The infection caused severe dehydration and ongoing health complications. Despite these conditions, he continued performing and appeared at the Vive Latino festival on March 14, 2026, just weeks before his death.
Q: What was Felipe Staiti's role in Enanitos Verdes?
Felipe Staiti was the lead guitarist of Enanitos Verdes from the band's founding in 1979 until his death. After co-founder Marciano Cantero died in 2022, Staiti also took on vocal duties, becoming the band's frontman while maintaining his lead guitar role. He was the last active member of the original lineup at the time of his death.
Q: What is "Lamento Boliviano"?
"Lamento Boliviano" is Enanitos Verdes' most recognized song and is considered one of the defining anthems of Latin rock. In late March 2026, weeks before Felipe Staiti's death, the song crossed one billion streams on Spotify — becoming the first Argentine rock song to reach that milestone. The song was a cornerstone of the guitarist's legacy and the band's identity across four decades.
Q: What were Felipe Staiti Wines?
Felipe Staiti Wines was a winemaking project founded by the guitarist, focused on wine production in Mendoza, Argentina, and Italy. Given Mendoza's status as Argentina's primary wine region, the project reflected Staiti's deep connection to the city where he was born and died. The future of the brand following his death has not been announced.
Q: Was there a funeral or ceremony for Felipe Staiti?
No. The Enanitos Verdes statement confirmed that, per the family's request, there would be no wake or public ceremony. The band posted on Instagram that the family appreciated the many calls and messages of support received after his death.