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Mexico City –  Gerardo Ortiz, who sings about the exploits of Mexico's drug lords, escaped unharmed when gunmen fired on his SUV in the western state of Colima, but his driver and business agent were killed.

The assailants were armed with AK-47 assault rifles, the state Attorney General's Office said in a statement.

A woman traveling in the vehicle was wounded.

Ortiz and his party were traveling on the outskirts of Colima city, the state capital, when they were intercepted by the gunmen, the AG's office said.

Within seconds of the shooting, men arrived at the scene to rush the 20-year-old Ortiz and his father to safety, the official statement said.

A note on the artist's Web site said he was "devastated and dismayed" by the attack, adding: "For obvious reasons, he will not give interviews to any media outlet."

Though he was born in Pasadena, California, and now resides in the United States, Gerardo Ortiz was raised in Mexico, spending part of his youth in the western state of Sinaloa, birthplace of the first generation of Mexican drug kingpins.

The singer has told interviewers that he began writing songs while still a youngster, often inspired by newspaper stories about the activities of drug traffickers and cartel gunslingers.

Sung to traditional folk melodies and rhythms, ballads about drug lords - known as "narcocorridos" - are a thriving genre of Mexican popular music.

Singing about the underworld can be risky, however, as four narcocorrido stars have been slain since December 2008.

Besides the attempt on the life of Gerardo Ortiz, Sunday witnessed a bomb attack on singer El Coyote and his band, Tierra Santa, during a performance in the state of Nayarit.

Three of the musicians were wounded in the blast.

Observers suggest violence against narcocorrido artists is the work of kingpins angry about songs glorifying their rivals.

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