People paid their respects Monday as Mexicans mourn the death of Vicente Fernández, the iconic ranchera singer whose baritone ballads of love embodied the spirit of a nation.   

Fernández died on Sunday at 81.  Fans gathered at the beloved singer’s ranch in Jalisco state, and and family members and friends paid their final respects to “El Rey” (the King) at his funeral wake at the VFG Arena in Tlajomulco de Zuniga on Monday.   

Fernández was awarded three Grammys and nine Latin Grammys in his lifetime.

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