Mexican singer Vicente Fernández, widely regarded as the king of ranchera music, died on Sunday, December 12, at the age of 81.
On Thursday, a mass was held in his honor at a North Dallas funeral home, with dozens of people in attendance to bid the legendary singer farewell.
According to The Dallas Morning News, the mass was presided over by Monsignor Alfredo García, and those who attended celebrated the life and work of “El Charro de Huentitán.”
During the mass, Garcia described the celebrated ranchera singer as a man who touched not only a community but the world in general.
“Vicente the Mexican, very Mexican, who never forgot his people, who never despised his people, who never felt greater than his Mexican people, who never felt ashamed of his people and never discriminated against his people,” Garcia said during the mass.
According to The Dallas Morning News, the main hall of the Hughes Family Center funeral was set up to accommodate Vicente Fernández fans who attended the mass.
There were lit candles, and images of the singer, fondly called “Chente,” were on display on two screens. A Mexican flag was also on display next to the altar.
Rosa Márquez, 65, one of the attendees, told The Dallas Morning News that Férnandez’s song made his fans remember their roots.
“We are from Zacatecas, and he is one of our favorite singers,” Márquez said.
Another attendee, Miguel Palacios, 36, said that Fernandez was the “greatest of the greats.” The 36-year-old added that he came for the mass because the singer reminded him of his father.
The Dallas Morning News reported that Vicente Fernández died in a hospital in the Mexican state of Jalisco, where he had been hospitalized since August after a fall at his ranch.
