On the night of 29 July, in San Nicolás de los Arroyos (Argentina) died Ulises Eyherabide, prolific songwriter and singer, leader of the Argentinian rock band Rescate, after a short but intense battle against cancer.

Marcelo Barrera, lead guitarist of the band, changed the profile of his Facebook page, posting a picture of his friend.

"Flaco, brother of life, hours, days, years, rehearsals, kilometres, places, discussions, arguments, prayers, work, tours, anecdotes, failures, fights, laughs, silences... you rest now, my friend, eternal embrace, brother".

The news was quickly replicated on social media, with thousands of comments from surprised readers, who expressed their sympathy and condolences to the singer's family and friends.

A wife and two children

"Today you left pa, and along with you went a father, a friend, a confidant, a counsellor, a part of me", posted his son, Federico, on Instagram.

"I am overwhelmed with anguish and pain for your departure, but I know that today you are in a better place, without anguish, or sadness, or pain. A place of joy and peace. I will see you there again some day.

Meanwhile, his daughter Agustina, posted: "You taught me a lot. And I had so much more to learn. I will remember you every day and in every project. Always remembering your smiles and your passion in everything you did. I love you with all my heart".

She added, "The evening is beautiful and it's your time to check if the sky really is full of runaway balloons. And if it is, look for mine for when we meet again," in reference to the song he composed for her, Balloons.

Ulises composed the song Celeste Light, dedicated to the birth of Federico, and You Know for Christina Thompson, his wife (No es es cuestión de suerte, 2000). Each member of the family posted a story on their social media with their own song.

Career

Eyherabide founded Rescate in 1987 with Jonathan Thompson from the United States, with contemporary Christian music groups and performers in English, such as Petra and Michael W. Smith, as his main references.

The band developed their musical projects in the gospel rock genre, participating in local festivals, opening for bigger bands, before they began to record their songs with the 1992 album Puentes para madurar (Bridges to Maturity).

Rescate's internationalisation came with their 2000 production, It' s not a matter of luck, which was followed by several albums. Undoubtedly (CanZion, 2014) is their most widely released album to date.

The last one was recorded live with the Symphonic Youth Orchestra of Florencio Varela.

Eyherabide, besides being the composer of the songs, designed the image and artwork for all Rescate's albums.

The band announced their definitive split in 2020, after which Ulises Eyherabide worked on producing and composing for other artists and recording some collaborations.

Ulises, 55, spent his last days accompanied by his wife and two children, as well as close family.

Many evangelicals have shared anecdotes, memories or simply a farewell message to Ulises in social meedia, who was known for building bridges and paving the way for other artists.