He was born in Muxika (Biscay) the 17th March 1934. He studied philosophy in the sacramental monastery of Tolosa (Guipuzcoa). Later he got a degree on teacher training in the maturity. Since 1984 he has been teacher of bertsolaritza for the Association of Ikastolas of Biscay and he has had to his charge the project of promotion of bertsolaritza in the Basque schools.

Lopategi was the first bertsolari with schooling education in the Spanish postwar period. His best epoch starts at the end of Franco's dictatorship and goes on through the transition and first years of the democracy. At that time, Lopategi formed artistic pair with Azpillaga and both became spokesmen of diverse social and political messages. As a result, Lopategi was jailed in several occasions.

He won the National Championship of Bertsolaris in 1989 and was runner-up in 1982 and 1986. He was four times champion of Biscay (1962, 1964, 1966 and 1987).

The immense majority of bertsolaris from Biscay who has reached the top of bertsolaritza since the nineties, all of them have been pupils of Lopategi.

He has been member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Biscay for several years.