Diomedes Dionisio Díaz Maestre, widely known as Diomedes Díaz or by his nickname El Cacique de la Junta, was a Colombian singer-songwriter born on May 26, 1957, in La Junta, La Guajira. He is widely recognized as one of the most prominent figures in the vallenato genre, earning the title King of Vallenato. Over the course of his career, Díaz became the highest-selling artist in vallenato history, with record sales surpassing 20 million copies.
While primarily known for vallenato, Díaz also crossed over into other tropical genres. He notably collaborated with salsa legend Joe Arroyo on the song Ron Pa' Todo el Mundo, which combined salsa and cumbia. In October 1997, Díaz was detained by order of the Attorney General's office but was later granted house arrest after it was proven he was suffering from Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Díaz passed away on December 22, 2013. His legacy is maintained through numerous collections of his work, including the 2010 compilation album, Mis Favoritas.