Memorial for singer Jenni Rivera, killed in plane crash in Mexico
Posted December 19, 2012 7:22 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Fans and family members of Jenni Rivera were set to celebrate the life of the Banda singer Wednesday at a Los Angeles memorial service after she was killed in a plane crash in Mexico.
“We will celebrate the graduation into heaven, with honours, of our beloved mother, daughter and sister,” her family said in a statement.
Free tickets to the public memorial service were quickly snapped up Tuesday. Rivera’s burial will be private.
The 43-year-old Rivera and six others died Dec. 9. The crash remains under investigation.
Rivera sold more than 15 million copies of her 12 major-label albums. Her soulful singing style and her honesty about her tumultuous personal life won her fans on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. She was also an actress and reality-TV star.
Born in Los Angeles, Rivera launched her career by selling cassette tapes at local flea markets. By the end of the 90s, she won a major-label contract and built a loyal following that knew her as the “Diva de la Banda.”
Many of her songs deal with themes of dignity in the face of heartbreak.
