Mexico to pay tribute to singer Juan Gabriel

MEXICO CITY: Mexico will hold a tribute to the legendary singer and composer Juan Gabriel in the capital city next week, officials said on Tuesday.
The singer known as the "Divo of Juarez," who touched millions with wrenching ballads of love and loneliness, died of a heart attack Sunday at his home in Santa Monica, California during a break in his latest tour. He was 66.
"Tribute to Juan Gabriel will be held next Monday in Fine Arts," the culture minister Rafael Tovar y de Teresa tweeted, referring to the Palace of Fine Arts, Mexico City's premier cultural centre.
It's not clear whether President Enrique Pena Nieto will attend. He is set to travel to China Friday to participate in a G20 summit from Sunday to Monday.
Gabriel's family issued a statement saying a memorial service would be held over the weekend in his home city Ciudad Juarez in northern Mexico followed by "a public celebration of the life of our father and his musical career."
The singer's remains were cremated in the United States and will arrive over the weekend in Ciudad Juarez, officials said.
An old-school idol some liken to Mexico's Elvis Presley, Gabriel wrote hit songs, sold tens of millions of records, received six Grammy nominations, and had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a barrier-busting career that won him admirers around the world.
His hits included No Tengo Dinero (I Have No Money),Hasta Que Te Conoci (Until I Met You) and Amor Eterno (Eternal Love). — AFP