Singing superstar Vicente Fernandez says the kidnapping of his eldest son will not drive him from his native Mexico.

Vicente Fernandez Jr., 34, was released earlier this month after the 4-month-long ordeal, reportedly for a $3.2 million ransom. The kidnappers cut off two of his fingers.The elder Fernandez, whose mariachi-backed "ranchero" songs have made him one of the biggest stars in Mexico and the American Southwest, spoke for the first time about the crime Thursday.

"I will live my whole life in Mexico. I want that to be clear. From my country, they will only take me out feet first," Fernandez said.

Of the kidnappers, he said: "May God forgive them - and hopefully I'll never find out who they were."

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