Chilean rock/metal legend, Juan "Juanzer" Álvarez, passed away on Monday (February 10) at 69 years of age following a battle with kidney cancer. His funeral will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, February 12.

According to Francisco Martín, "Juanzer" started playing guitar in a 70's hard rock band called Lágrima Seca (translation: dry tear) and by the end of that decade he was getting more and more interested in the heavy metal style of music.

By the early 80's, he joined the band Feedback of Néstor Leal, a Chilean musician and former member of Belgium's Equinox who had moved back to Chile to start his new project. With Feedback, "Juanzer" toured intensively through the country, recorded some demos but left the band before recording an official album.

"Juanzer" started his new project called Panzer during the second half of the 80's and released five studio albums and played live in almost every city in Chile.