Departures of note

Johnny Torales was a Paraguayan singer, best known as a founding member of the trio Los 3 Sudamericanos. Sent to Buenos Aires as a child for his studies, he began his musical career there, recording as a soloist with the orchestras of Lucio Milena and Orquesta Novel for the Guarania label, singing Paraguayan songs in Guaraní and Spanish as well as English versions of songs popularized by Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby.

In 1959, together with Alma María Vaesken and Casto Darío Martínez, he formed Los 3 Sudamericanos. The trio was invited by Columbia Argentina to record in Buenos Aires, achieving success in Argentina. They later moved to Spain in 1965, where they gained enormous popularity, recording for the Belter label and earning gold records. The group toured the world with their songs.

Torales remained with the group for decades, performing alongside Alma María Vaesken and later Dioni Velázquez. In 2011 the trio performed at the celebrations for the Bicentennial of Paraguay's independence, and in 2012 they were named Hijos Dilectos de Asunción. Torales died in Tarancón (Cuenca) in 2026 at the age of 98.