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Juan Gabriel memorial mass slated for Monterey Park
Singer Juan Gabriel performs during the Latin Grammy Awards show at the Mandalay Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 5, 2009.
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A display of flowers, candles, wreaths and other mementos placed in honor of the late Mexican music icon Juan Gabriel at his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 29, 2016 in Hollywood, California.
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A fan waits for the ashes of Mexican singer-songwriter Juan Gabriel to arrive at the Fine Arts Palace in Mexico City on September 5, 2016.
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View of an altar with flowers in a mural depicting the late Mexican singer Juan Gabriel inside a restaurant in the Plaza Garibaldi in Mexico City, on August 29, 2016.
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Juan Gabriel may be gone, but he is far from forgotten. On Tuesday, a Monterey Park Catholic church hosts a memorial mass for the Mexican superstar.
Everyone is welcome to attend the service, which is being put together by Torres Mortuary and hosted by St. Stephen Martyr Catholic Church.
The event will include a candlelight presentation, a dove release and tributes by local performers including singer Patty Deluna, all-female band the Mariachi Divas and a Juan Gabriel impersonator.
Torres Mortuary spokesperson Daniel Diaz tells KPCC he hopes the memorial tribute will provide some closure for Gabriel's fanbase, which remains strong in Southern California.
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"He was a humble man and his music just explained so much of the real life that we all feel," Diaz says. "He was not only an international artist but he was a composer and writer and sang. And he just was just an amazing individual."
The event was put together by and for Gabriel's, Los Angeles Archdiocese spokesperson Doris Benavides tells KPCC.
It takes place from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday. The doors open to the public at 5 p.m., with the mass itself beginning at 7 p.m. It is set to be a one-hour mass, all in Spanish, Benavides says.
Afterward, the guestbook that attendees are invited to sign will be sent to Ciudad Juarez, where Gabriel's ashes will remain and a museum honoring him is in the works.
No Gabriel family members will be attending, Benavides says.
This story has been updated.
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