Jaison Orlando Jimenez Galliano was not born into comfort, nor was his rise to prominence the result of chance.

His life unfolded as a difficult and often painful journey shaped by childhood trauma, addiction, hunger, exposure to crime, unwavering resilience, faith in music, and eventual cultural influence.

By the time of his death on January 10, 2026, Jimenez had become one of the most powerful and influential voices in Colombian musica popular, a genre that for years had been marginalized until he helped restore its national relevance.

He was more than a singer.

He was a survivor who transformed hardship into melody, regret into lyrics, and pain into songs that millions embraced as their own.

His story was not smooth or romantic.

It was real, uncomfortable, and deeply human.

Jimenez was born on July 26, 1991, in Manzanares, Caldas.

On the surface, his childhood appeared privileged.

His father, Orlando Jimenez, was a wealthy man with financial resources and social standing.

However, wealth did not provide stability.

Both of his parents struggled with severe alcohol abuse, and the household environment was volatile and unpredictable.

His mother, Luz Mary Galliano, endured repeated domestic violence, a reality that would permanently shape Jaison emotional world.

Fear, confusion, and emotional insecurity were present long before he could understand them.

The violence eventually reached a breaking point.

Luz Mary fled Orlando home and sought refuge with her sister in Manizales, taking Jaison and his sister with her.

The separation shattered what little family structure remained.

Survival replaced stability.

Later accounts from Jimenez and his relatives revealed that Orlando eventually lost or depleted his wealth, leaving no meaningful financial support and no emotional presence.

The collapse of his father fortune mirrored the collapse of Jaison childhood security, reinforcing a lesson that would follow him for life: nothing was guaranteed.

Despite the chaos, one element emerged early and consistently.

Music.

At the age of seven, Jaison began singing and participating in local competitions across Caldas.

His voice stood out not because of technical perfection, but because it carried emotion far beyond his years.

Music became his refuge.

While many children sang for enjoyment, Jaison sang to survive emotionally.

His performances reflected fear, longing, abandonment, and the quiet determination of a mother who refused to surrender to despair.

As the family financial situation worsened, music was no longer a hobby or luxury.

It became hope.

It offered a sense of purpose and identity in a life marked by instability.

By his early teenage years, it was clear that music was not simply something he did.

It was something he needed.

In 2004, during his adolescence, Luz Mary Galliano moved the family to Bogotá, believing the capital city might offer better opportunities.

The move was influenced by her then partner, who abandoned them just one week after their arrival.

Suddenly, Jaison found himself in a massive and unforgiving city without protection or resources.

The promise of opportunity quickly turned into daily survival.

To help support his family, Jaison began working at Corabastos, Bogotá largest wholesale market and one of the most demanding labor environments in the city.

The work involved long hours of physical exhaustion, heavy loads, minimal pay, and constant pressure.

Hunger was common.

Rest was rare.

Yet at night, despite exhaustion, Jaison wrote songs.

Music remained his anchor.

This period also marked his darkest descent.

Living in Bogotá, Jaison struggled with drug addiction, a battle that intensified rapidly.

His substance abuse escalated to the point where he suffered a stroke, a shocking and life threatening medical crisis for someone so young.

Addiction did not exist in isolation.

Alcoholism had affected his family, and the cycle repeated itself in his own life.

Alongside addiction, he became involved in criminal activity, leading to a sentence of house arrest.

At that stage, his future appeared bleak.

He seemed destined to become another young man consumed by the city, another statistic waiting to be recorded.

Yet even during house arrest, Jaison continued to write songs.

Music did not abandon him.

It remained present when everything else fell apart.

At the age of seventeen, Jaison Jimenez made a decisive and life altering choice.

He committed fully to music.

Songwriting and performance became his only path forward.

This decision was not glamorous or supported by security.

It was an act of desperation and belief.

His lyrics reflected exactly what he knew: addiction, poverty, betrayal, regret, hope, love, loss, and desire.

This raw honesty would later define his artistic identity and set him apart from others in the genre.

His first commercial breakthrough came in 2013 with the release of the song Te Doy Lo Mejor, included on the album Con Otra Voluntad.

The song did not catapult him to instant fame, but it introduced his voice to a broader musica popular audience.

Listeners recognized something authentic.

He sang like someone who had lived every word he wrote.

From that point forward, his career grew steadily rather than explosively.

His success was built on constant releases, relentless touring, and a direct connection with fans.

Over time, he constructed a musica popular empire rooted in sincerity.

Over his lifetime, Jaison Jimenez released eight albums and wrote more than seventy songs, becoming one of the most recognizable artists in the genre.

At a time when musica popular struggled for mainstream respect, Jimenez helped revitalize it.

He modernized its sound while preserving its emotional core.

His music resonated deeply with working class Colombians who saw their own lives reflected in his lyrics.

Blue Radio later identified him as a key figure in the genre resurgence, crediting him with helping restore its cultural relevance.

In 2024, Jaison Jimenez reached a historic milestone.

He became the first musica popular artist to sell out the Movistar Arena in Bogotá as a solo act.

The event was more than a concert.

It was validation.

A genre once sidelined now stood proudly in one of Colombia most prestigious venues, filled to capacity.

For Jimenez, it symbolized redemption.

The journey from Corabastos laborer to national icon had come full circle.

His influence extended beyond music.

In 2021, Jaison joined Caracol Television Yo Me Llamo as a jury member for its eighth season.

His presence on national television marked full mainstream recognition, not only as a performer but as an authority within Colombian music.

He spoke openly about struggle, discipline, and authenticity, becoming a role model for aspiring artists from similar backgrounds.

In his personal life, Jaison Jimenez was closely associated with Sonia Restrepo, whom he acknowledged as his partner and wife.

Together, they built a family.

He was the father of a daughter, Thaliana, and spoke often of fatherhood as his greatest responsibility and pride.

On January 10, 2026, Jaison Jimenez life came to an abrupt end.

He died in a plane crash near Paipa, Boyacá, while traveling aboard a Piper PA31 Navajo aircraft.

Five other people were killed in the accident.

He was thirty four years old.

The news stunned Colombia and the broader Latin American music world.

Radio stations paused programming.

Fans gathered in public spaces.

Tributes flooded social media.

His death arrived at a moment when his career was still ascending.

He left behind a legacy defined not only by success, but by transformation.

Jaison Jimenez proved that pain could become art, that survival could become song, and that even the most difficult beginnings could lead to cultural impact.

His voice may have been silenced, but his story continues to be sung.