Juan Gabriel's Ashes Return to His Beloved Ciudad Juarez

Thousands of people gathered as the ashes of iconic Mexican singer Juan Gabriel were transferred to his home city of Ciudad Juarez, part of a series of ongoing tributes to the superstar.

GALLERY:
Juan Gabriel, the Legendary Singer and Beloved 'Divo of Juarez'

The crowd gathered along the six-kilometer stretch between his house on Sept. 16 Avenue to the city's Santa Fe bridge, singing "In the same city and with the same people," one of the artists many hits.

A black van carrying the ashes from El Paso, Texas, where Gabriel passed away after suffering a heart attack at the age of 66, crossed the bridge and made a stop at the music school Semjase, where former students and professors paid tribute to their fellow.

Dozens of fans had started to arrive the previous night, sleeping outside and placing wreaths of flowers outside his home, including hundreds of white roses from Mexican singer Luis Miguel and another incarantion form artist Gloria Trevi.

Gabriel's son Alberto Aguilera Jr. and his brother Pablo Aguilera Valadez attended the ceremony. Later in the night, artists like Jerok, Zona Prieta, Aranza, Eddy Valencia, Mayela Orozco, Rocío Banquells and Dulce performed in a tribute concert.

Born into a poor family and one of 10 siblings, the Michoacan-born artist, affectionately referred to as Divo de Juarez, recorded about 1,800 songs and sold over 100 million records during a career which began with the 1971 hit “No Tengo Dinero” when he was just 21 years old.

Gabriel was famous for his energetic live performances, often performed in extravagant mariach costumes. One of his greatest hits, “Querida,” stood at the top of the Mexican charts for over a year