Journalist Miguel Soler, an icon of Mallorcan radio, dies in Palma at the age of 86

PalmMiguel Soler passed away this Thursday in Palma at the age of 86, leaving a profound legacy as a leading figure in radio and musical culture in the Balearic Islands. Soler was a key figure in the emergence of new sounds in the 1960s, and his career at Radio Mallorca and in print media influenced generations of listeners and readers. Born in Murcia on March 16, 1939, Soler moved to Mallorca at a young age, where he made the island his home and built a journalistic and radio career that made him an icon of popular culture. In the early 1960s, with the arrival of modern music, he began his time at Radio Mallorca, where he presented programs that introduced artists and styles previously unknown to the general public in the Balearic Islands.

One of Soler's most memorable contributions was his role in bringing Beatlemania to Mallorca. He himself claimed to have been responsible for playing the first Beatles song in Spain. Love Me DoAfter obtaining the record through a friend who was traveling to London, this decision marked a turning point in the island's openness to new musical trends and the youth culture that brought together millions of fans around the Liverpool band.

In a Mallorca full of boom Tourism and cultural transformation, Soler also organized initiatives such as the festival To the Beatle at the now-defunct Lyric Theatre of Palma, where the queue to get in was immense, and he traveled to cover the Beatles concerts in Barcelona in 1965, recording those historic performances and returning with tapes that he himself had captured.

His influence, however, was not limited to bringing international news to the airwaves: Soler supported emerging local musical groups, and his work as a journalist and festival promoter helped consolidate the island's own music scenes.

While shining on the airwaves, Soler also made his mark in print journalism, with a long stint in Latest News where he published columns, stories, and reviews in an approachable yet rigorous style. He also opened a record store, released songs, and published a book When we were youngerA witness to the era he lived so intensely.

Married since 1965 to Catalina Guasch Massanet and father of Silvia and Miguel, Soler was known for his humility and the way he connected with his listeners, whom he accompanied for decades on the radio.

With his death, one of the most beloved voices in Balearic journalism and radio is silenced, but his musical and cultural legacy will remain in the island's collective memory: a Mallorca that, thanks to voices like his, awoke and connected with the world to the rhythm of guitars and melodies.