Mexico City - Mexican singer Vicente Fernandez returns to music at age 78 with the ranchera number En la Carcel de Tu Adios (In the Prison of Your Goodbye), an emotional song that comes more than two years after his retirement.

"The top idol of ranchera music, always in contact with his fans, has launched his new single 'En la Carcel de Tu Adios,' a touching number performed by the king of Mexican music," Sony Music announced last Friday.

The recording aired on July 13, on radio and digital platforms, with the famed singer, born in 1940 in the western state of Jalisco, singing forlornly about the loss of a woman.

He also presented a video on YouTube in which, dressed in traditional Mexican cowboy garb, he sings his new version of the song while sitting at a table with a half-empty bottle of tequila.

In April 2016, Fernandez, affectionately known as Chente, bid showbiz goodbye with a big concert at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

Though that was his last concert, the cherished artist has continued working at the studio preparing new recordings. "En la Carcel de Tu Adios" is the first promotional single of his next album, to be dubbed Mas Romantico que Nunca (More Romantic that Ever) and which will go on sale August 10.

According to the record company, Vicente Fernandez has a career that goes back more than 50 years, during which he has sold over 70 million discs, made more than 25 movies, won eight Latin Grammys and three Grammys.