Mexican-American Tomás Eduardo Tovar Rascón, who was also known as Tito Torbellino, was killed on Thursday afternoon in Mexico. The late musician celebrated his birthday about two weeks ago.

The banda singer was in Obregón for a performance when a group came to the Chinese restaurant where he was eating lunch and shot him point-blank in the head and chest.

The 33-year-old singer was born in Phoenix in 1981 and was tied to the narcocorridos music scene, which celebrates the glories of the drug trade. The songs talk about the life and death of drug kingpins and are set to music that sounds similar to polka and includes guitars, accordions, drums and tubas, Global Post said.

Guns appeared in Torbellino's videos, but he mostly sang about unrequited love. Elijah Wald, who wrote "Narcocorrido: A Journey into the Music of Drugs, Guns and Guerrillas," however, believes that singing love songs could be just as dangerous.

"In that world, it's probably more dangerous to be singing romantic songs than narcocorridos because it increases the chances that somebody's girlfriend will suddenly decide that you're the cutest thing ever," he said.

One of the last songs Torbellino recorded was "Te La Pasas" with Espinoza Paz. The two met a few years ago and became good friends. He also worked with the Héroes del Norte, and was very popular amongst banda artists.

Torbellino was just beginning to see success as an artist, and he would also share pictures of his luxurious life. One of his Twitter pictures has him relaxing in a pool, and in another he was in Paris. He also tended to upload pictures of guns, especially at target practice. He was a father of four: three daughters and one son.

Torbellino recently posted, "Thanks for my children, family friends and my fans..."

In another picture featuring his children, he explained that his kids were very patient with the long hours he put in.

He said, "As I always say, family is the most important thing. Today I was able to rest and spend time with them."

Torbellino's career started in 2002 when he decided to drop out of high school to pursue music full-time. He played the accordion beginning at age 14. He recorded 13 albums with his group, Tito y su Torbellino. In 2009, he signed with Sony, according to La Opinion, increasing his popularity.

Torbellino was getting ready to work on his first movie "El Filly" as a producer, director and actor. The story was not supposed to be an autobiography of his life, although it was expected to be inspired by his roots in both Mexico and the United States.

Latino celebrities expressed their sadness at Torbellino's death.

Mario Quintero said the news was a "bucket of cold water."

"It's something that's very surprising because he was someone we communicated with," he said, referring to his band's connection to the singer.

Here's what other celebrities had to say:

Espinoza Paz: "I can't believe it! Rest in peace my great friend #titotorbellino"

La Original Banda el Limón: "Our condolences to the family of Tito Torbellino. Rest in peace!"

Montez de Durango: "He just performed in our club in Chicago a few weeks ago, and he behaved like a total gentleman with JLT."

Janney Chiquis Marin: "My prayers to Tito Torbellino's whole family, especially to his children. My heart hurts for them."

Alfredo Rios 'El Komander': "My sincere condolences to family, friends and followers of 'compa' Tito Torbellino, rest in peace."

Banda Machos: "With deep sorrow, we express our deepest condolences to the family of our colleague Tito Torbellino."

Diana Reyes: "I never knew him in person, but I heard his music. He made the same journey I made for his dreams. RIP Tito Torbellino."

I Rodz: "Don't share pictures of Tito Torbellino's body!!! Have respect for his family and loved ones!!! Don't do it!!!! :("

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