Legendary composer Benito de Jesús died Thursday, June 24, at age 97. Marching to the tune of his great compositions, the residents of Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, some sobbing, some singing, bade him farewell on Saturday. Carlos Alberto (Charlie) de Jesús, son of the composer and singer, said that the town “went all out to receive him as one of the greats, among applause and tears of many people who loved him so much.” The public gathered to pay their last respects and to express sympathy to his family in the town plaza, which was named after de Jesús on Aug. 24, 2007. The Puerto Rico Daily Sun reports that many are saddened to see that, “unlike many other deceased cultural heroes, he was not honored on a broader scale.”
Charlie de Jesús expressed his disappointment that the Puerto Rican government did not declare three days of mourning as a posthumous tribute to his father, composer of countless international hits, like “Nuestro juramento,” “Sigamos pecando,” and many other romantic boleros, adding that his father “had sufficient merits for them to have declared a mourning period.” However, he expressed that the family is calm and content because his father had lived a long fruitful life and is now buried next to the love of his life, his wife Gloria.
Governor Fortuño expressed his sympathy to the family in written declarations Thursday, calling de Jesús “A hard-working man that we will remember for being one of the unequalled group the Trío Vegabajeño.”
For full article, see http://www.prdailysun.com/news/Barceloneta-bids-goodbye-to-Benito
For more information on Benito de Jesús, see http://www.prpop.org/biografias/b_bios/benito_de_jesus.shtml
Listen to the Trío Vegabajeño (Benito de Jesús, on the right, with a young Danny Rivera reciting some of the verses) singing “Sigamos pecando” here:
Listen to Julio Jaramillo (Ecuador) singing “Nuestro juramento” here:
