The Story Behind Luis Miguel’s Mother’s Mysterious Disappearance

Whether you’re a die-hard fan of Luis Miguel’s iconic hits like “La Bikina” or know little about the singer, you may be interested in his complex life story.

While the 53-year-old “Sol de México” is best known for his four-decade, platinum-selling career, he’s just as known for keeping his personal life top-secret. And yes, that may include startling family mysteries like the disappearance of his mother, Marcela Basteri, in 1986.

The “Si Nos Dejan” star began singing professionally as a child. He was catapulted by his father-manager, Luisito Rey, who pushed him to emulate Elvis Presley.

Luismi released his first album, “Un Sol,” at 11 years old. Subsequently, he became a music sensation and toured the world (check out his 1981 TV debut singing “La Malagueña”).

Still, the singer had a complicated private life, including a toxic relationship with his father — a known manipulator who pushed him to his limits. Even more, the last time the singer saw his mother was at 15 years old. He never got the chance to see her again.

Here’s everything we know about Luis Miguel’s mother’s 1986 disappearance

On Mexican Mother’s Day, Miguel did something he had never done before in the 37 years since his mother’s disappearance — post a photo of her on Instagram.

The rare shot of the two together reminded many fans of her tragic story.

While left without a caption, many fans noted how emotional the post really was.

As one user wrote, “This is the first and only time Luismi has ever shared a photo about his life instead of his work.” Another shared the lyrics for Miguel’s song “Tengo Todo Excepto A Ti”: “I’m dying to live, but I just need you.”

The last time Miguel saw his mother was in 1985 when he was 15 years old, during his concert at Buenos Aires’ Luna Park. Meanwhile, Basteri was last seen in 1986 at an Italian airport with her son, Sergio Basteri, while reportedly on their way to see her aunt. Some reports indicate Basteri wanted a separation from her husband at the time.

Basteri had left her Sergio in Italy during that period and traveled to Spain to meet with Luisito Rey, who was still her husband. She disappeared soon after that, with Rey allegedly saying she had run away with an Italian lover.

While no one knows for sure what happened to Basteri, fans have since created several theories — and many lead back to Rey.

‘Luis Miguel: La Serie’ heavily focuses on the singer’s mother’s bizarre story

If you caught Netflix’s “Luis Miguel: La Serie,” you might remember the singer’s tragic quest to find his mother — to no avail.

While you might think, “Well, it’s a series,” Miguel authorized the biographical show and was reportedly involved in it. According to Infobae’s interview with Mexican journalist, Ernesto Buitrón, Miguel might have even “inspected every episode.”

Additionally, Miguel said in a press release about the show: “It’s taken me a long time to decide to tell my story, and I have always looked for the right team to correctly showcase it to the public.”

He later called the series’ producers, Gato Grande, the “perfect” people to “reveal his life’s story.”

It’s safe to say the show gives a pretty accurate portrayal of what went down. Even the parts about his mother.

The series holds up to much of the disappearance’s known facts, including Miguel first believing his father’s version of the story, then setting off on a detective race to find his mother. If you watched the series, you might remember the singer finally questioning his uncle Tito in Madrid about her disappearance.

The uncle replied: “No, no it wasn’t me, it was an accident. Your dad and her were arguing…go to [Madrid neighborhood] Las Matas, find her, it was an accident.” Hmm.

The show seems to hint at some wrongdoing by Miguel’s father — but it still doesn’t confirm it. As per La Vanguardia, there were always “suspicions” regarding Luisito Rey’s role in the disappearance. However, not enough evidence to demonstrate it.

Meanwhile, Rey died six years after Basteri’s disappearance at 47 years old of pneumonia. The series shows Miguel at his father’s deathbed asking about his mother. Rey dies just before telling him what happened.

Insiders have since revealed their version of events on the mystery

Alleged family friend and actor, Andres Garcia, revealed in 2019 that he is “90 percent almost sure where they killed Marcela.”

“I went to a place with Luis Rey; he took me there with one of his brothers and another person,” he explained at the time.”From the attitude of those three people, I think it happened there and that they buried her there.”

Garcia also said that Rey allegedly asked another man to murder Basteri, later asking him to do it.

“We talked about a horrible crime…” he continued. “I said when [Luis Miguel] gets here, I’m going to tell him because this is barbaric.”

There are very different theories, too. For one, Argentine journalist, Luis Ventura, asserted in a Canal 4 interview that Basteri lives in Argentina.

“She’s here in Argentina, in the Constitución neighborhood,” he said. “One day, they’re going to prove me right.”

As Spanish journalist and “Oro de Rey, Luis Miguel” biopic writer Javier León Herrera, told El País:

“Luis Miguel and his brothers have a total understanding of what happened to Marcela Basteri… [It’s just] very private.”

The acclaimed series seems to have already given away everything Miguel is willing to say on the subject. As countless theories abound, it’s just as possible the singer doesn’t know what happened to his mother either.