Jenni Rivera memorial: Touching tribute by family and fans

Fans mourn Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012. A giant screen televised her memorial service, which took place inside the Gibson Amphitheater. (Damian Dovarganes/AP)

 
Story by NBC News Latino

Written by Nina Terrero

Jenni Rivera’s sons remember a loving mother

Michael Marín Rivera may be 21 years old, but that didn’t stop him from tearing up when remembering his mother, Jenni Rivera.

“I will try to be strong until the day we reunite,” said Michael, wearing a red and grey striped cardigan and red knit hat. “Thank you for all the seeds you planted, and all the time you spent with me.”

And those times included funny memories of the two of them watching Jerry Springer on television while drinking milk and eating cookies, said Michael, memories he hopes to share with his three-month-old daughter Luna.

“I’m glad you got to meet her,” said Michael. “I named her Luna so she would be my light in the darkness …and I can fight for her like you fought for us.”

And 11-year-old Johnny López Rivera – dressed in a white suit and gloves – brought the audience to tears with his touching dedication to his deceased mother.

“I’ve never seen a mother work so hard to accomplish anything, like getting groceries for her children to feed them,” said Johnny, crying. “It’s just a real honor to say that the Jenni Rivera that everyone is talking about is my mom.

“She still lives in me.”

Update below written by Nina Terrero

Paper butterflies showered a teary-eyed audience and tunes that Jenni Rivera made famous were sung by family and friends. And while Jenni Rivera’s hit “Cuando Muere Una Dama” (“When a Lady Dies”) played over the loudspeakers, family members kissed the brilliant red casket that held the singer’s remains as fans approached the stage at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles to pay their respects to an icon gone far too soon.

“It’s just a real honor to say that Jenni Rivera that everyone is talking about is my mom,” said Rivera’s youngest son Johnny López Rivera, who was dressed in a white suit and gloves. “She still lives in me.”

Each of the members of Rivera’s family – her five children, two grandchildren, parents, four brothers and sister – were dressed in different shades of white and red and took their seats on a stage in front of some 6,000 fans. Between musical numbers played by a banda on stage, various relatives came forward to address the audience while a single microphone stood behind Rivera’s red casket.