Thousands attend memorial service for Emilio Navaira

Thousands of fans gathered to say goodbye to Tejano music legend Emilio Navaira during a memorial service for the superstar on Sunday at Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio.

An estimated crowd of more than 12,000 attended the event that was filled with memories and music of Navaira.  It was a time to mourn and celebrate the life of Navaira, as many Tejano stars were in attendance to pay their respects to the singer.

“He just meant so much, his loss is a big surprise to everybody,” Tejano music star David Lee Garza told Tejano Nation. “We’re here to represent what we do for a living and what Emilio loved to do, that’s play Tejano music.”

Navaira began his career with David Lee Garza Y Los Musicales as lead vocalist during the 1980’s.

“He started with us back in 1983 all the way through ’88, we learned the business, he learned the business, we just had so many great times together,” Garza added.

A funeral service for Navaira will be held Monday at San Fernando Cathedral, 115 W. Main Plaza, starting at 1 p.m and will be streamed live at KXTN.com. The interment portion of his services will follow at San Juan Cemetery Bergs Mill. Both are open to the public.