It was a day of roller coaster of emotions...

One of the highest honors afforded to a few is being paid tribute
at El Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City

After eleven days since his passing José José finally reached Mexican soil...not in the way most Mexicans or his second family would have envisioned...but at least in Mexico none the less. Not going to go into details as many of you are a lot more computer savvy than I...you can Google all the hurdles his children from his second marriage had to endure.

The live coverage began at ten o'clock in the Spanish speaking networks.  I have to give kudos to Telemundo for knocking the former number one Hispanic network Univision out of the ballpark. Their coverage lasted six hours and they had reporters at all the iconic locations that were on the schedule.

 
If you are not familiar with José José or why the Hispanic community is so grief stricken...perhaps if I equate his passing to a Frank Sinatra you might be better able to understand how his nation viewed him.

Two roses and an old-time mike laid
at the foot of his coffin.

I am not throwing out Frank Sinatra's name in vain...many may not know that after hearing him in 1970...at the OTI festival the first to be broadcast worldwide via satellite...Frank became a fan and wanted to record an album with José José.  Unfortunately,  José José's record company did not allow him to do so.

Marysol Sosa his daughter from his second marriage
with the granddaughter,  he never got to meet because
of the family drama between family 2 and 3.

Frank Sinatra crossed the border at Tijuana to go hear him sing.  At the time he warned him to take care of his voice as he was beginning his downward spiral.  Frank gifted José José a diamond ring something that even when he was in dire financial straits José José never considered selling.

The religious ceremony held at the Basilica de Guadalupe
a shrine deep and close to his heart.

There are so many anecdotes...too many to cover in this blog but worthwhile reading if you care to do so and to be able to understand why Mexico and Spanish speaking countries across the globe mourn his passing.

His daughter Marysol singing a song to
her beloved father at La Basilica de Guadalupe

I cried, I laughed, I was in deep thought as to how he had personally impacted my life. What you hear everywhere is how he was such a down to earth, humble individual who when you were in his presence...he made YOU feel like you were the superstar rather than vice-versa.

There was a lot of controversy when Anel his second wife and
 mother of his two eldest children supposedly took the  place
of the grieving widow.

His wishes were always to be buried next to his mother in Mexico City.  Nowhere was the word "cremate" ever-present.  However, his third wife Sara (a Cuban-American) and Florida family decided to do just that.  His two eldest children from his second marriage tried to go to court to impede it but were unsuccessful and only granted a two-day reprieve to keep his body from being cremated.

José Joel his eldest son sang at a park where a statue in his honor
 was dedicated ten years ago and where he was
 revered by the locals.

The Mexican Consulate in Miami tried to broker a deal but the Sarita's (first name of his third wife and also the name of the daughter he had with her) put up a lot of roadblocks.  His oldest children wanted his un-cremated remains to be taken to Mexico for all the tributes and then returned to the USA but there was a lack of trust on both sides.

He ended up being cremated in Florida and the ashes being halved between the dueling families.  Half of him ended being buried next to his beloved mother but not like he had envisioned...just his ashes.

His passing is being covered very differently in the Mexican versus the USA Hispanic media.  All I have to say is..."Descansa en Paz,  El Príncipe de la Canción tú pueblo te ama y te venera.  Tú eres Mexicano y finalmente estas en tu tierra y con tu gente que te ama."