Aurelio MartÃÂnez Suazo (26 September 1969 â 17 March 2025), professionally known as Aurelio, was a Honduran singer-songwriter and politician. Known for his Garifuna music, he was considered a cultural ambassador of the Garifuna people. According to The Guardian, he became the leading Garifuna performer after the death of musician Andy Palacio. His album "Laru Beya" was considered among the best albums of Latin American music, according to Los 600 de Latinoamérica, a 2024 ranking made by Latin American music critics.
From 2006 to 2010, MartÃÂnez served as the first Afro-Honduran member of the National Congress of Honduras.
In 2021, a number of his songs were featured in the documentary about an excavation by the German Archaeological Institute at the coastline of Honduras accompanying an exhibition of the Rietberg Museum.
MartÃÂnez and 11 other people died on Roatán Island on 17 March 2025, after AerolÃÂnea Lanhsa Flight 018, the plane he was travelling on, experienced engine failure after taking off from Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport and fell into the sea. He was 55.