Friends of Mexico's 'Prince of Song' pay respects in Miami

Gisela Salomon, Associated Press Updated 5:21 pm CDT, Friday, October 4, 2019

MIAMI (AP) — Family, friends and music colleagues of the late José José bid farewell to the Mexican crooner Friday at a Miami-area funeral home, remembering him not only as one of Latin America's greatest singers but as a humble man.

Beloved for his melancholy ballads and known as Mexico's "Prince of Song," José José died last Saturday in Miami at age 71 after living in South Florida in recent years.

Puerto Rican bandleader and singer Gilberto Santa Rosa — the "Gentleman of Salsa" — said he was a fan of José José's music and fond of him as a man.

"He was a lovely man, a person who never changed despite becoming a superstar," Santa Rosa said as he arrived to the invitation-only wake in suburban Miami, which was scheduled to last seven hours into Friday evening.

More:
https://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Wake-for-Mexico-s-Prince-of-Song-being-held-in-14491983.php#photo-18380411

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Thousands in Mexico say a final goodbye to legendary singer José José
"How sad it was to say goodbye," Mexico's secretary of culture Alejandra Frausto tweeted.



Fans shout slogans as they pay tribute to late Mexican singing legend Jose Jose at Bellas Artes Palace in Mexico City, Mexico on Oct. 9, 2019.Carlos Jasso / Reuters

Oct. 9, 2019, 3:43 PM CDT / Updated Oct. 9, 2019, 3:52 PM CDT

Thousands of Mexico City residents lined the sides of major boulevards Wednesday to catch a glimpse of the hearse carrying the ashes of singer José José.

The ashes of the Mexico City-born singer were flown back to Mexico aboard a military plane early in the day.

A hearse picked up the casket bearing his ashes at the airport and drove to the city’s downtown where admirers tossed flowers and waved to the passing vehicle as it made its way to the Palace of Fine Arts.

The Mexican Culture Ministry planned a three-hour long tribute where members of the National Symphony Orchestra played renditions of some of the icon's songs including “El Triste” — which catapulted him into international stardom in the 1970s.

More:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/thousands-mexico-say-final-goodbye-legendary-singer-jos-jos-n1064366



José José - El Triste en vivo

José José's big break came on March 25, 1970, when he represented Mexico in an international song festival, the "II Festival de la Canción Latina" (Latin Song Festival II, predecessor of the OTI Festival) with an amazing performance of the song "El Triste".

The performance of the song was so impressive that caused tears, standing ovations, expressions of amazement and cheers from Angélica María, Alberto Vázquez, Marco Antonio Muñiz, the judges and the spectators in the Teatro Ferrocarrilero in Mexico City. The fact that José José got the third place shocked the audience. After the hit of "El Triste", his popular romantic ballad style mixed with a unique voice made him the star of stars in Mexico.