Country Tejano artist Johnny Rodriguez died at age 73. Rodriguez achieved multiple No. 1 country hits in the 1970s. Rodriguez received numerous awards and accolades, including inductions into multiple ...

Johnny Rodriguez, country star with hits like “Pass Me By (If You’re Only Passing Through)” and “Ridin’ My Thumb to Mexico,” died at the age of 73 on May 9. He entered hospice care earlier this week.

Johnny Rodriguez, the first major Mexican American country star, who sang in both English and Spanish and wrote 1970s hits including “Ridin’ My Thumb to Mexico” — about a forlorn hitchhiker trying to ...