Reggaeton Star El Taiger Dead at 37, One Week After Being Shot in Head

El Taiger -- the Reggaeton star who was found shot in the head in Miami last week -- has died ... according to a statement posted to his Instagram.

According to the IG post, written in Spanish, El Taiger -- born José Manuel Carbajal Zaldívar -- passed away Thursday afternoon. The announcement thanked fans for their prayers over the last week as they all hoped for a miracle.

The statement says that El Taiger is now reunited with his mother in heaven ... and, the rest of his family thanks the medical staff at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami for doing everything they could to save the star.

Miami Police Chief Manuel A. Morales gave an update last week ... announcing the singer was in "very" critical condition after undergoing surgery. Authorities suspect El Taiger was shot somewhere else and then driven to a neighborhood near the hospital.

He was found shot in the head in the back of a Mercedes-Benz with two red gas cans in the trunk on October 3. According to local reports, El Taiger faced two criminal cases over the summer ... one for strong-arm robbery and battery, and another for misdemeanor resisting an officer -- pleading not guilty to both.

The singer-songwriter released several singles and EPs over the years ... most recently dropping the song "Bonita" back in May. The investigation into his death is ongoing.

El Taiger was 37.