A group of Cubans gathered this Wednesday at the Colón Cemetery in Havana to pay tribute to the Cuban reggaeton artist José Manuel Carbajal, known as El Taiger, who was killed on October 10 in Miami.
The tribute, organized by the artist's followers and friends, brought together a dozen young people who brought flowers, lit candles, and remembered his legacy in Cuban urban music and his closeness to the people, reported the Facebook profile La Farándula Cubana.
"Forbidden to forget you, Tanke," they wrote on social media, alongside a photo of the singer’s grave, where he will rest beside his mother in the Havana necropolis.
The tribute included words of affection and acknowledgment of his career, which marked a turning point in cubatón as well as in the reggaeton scene, becoming an icon and a symbol of resilience during difficult times for the youth of the island.
In the banners, his followers requested that his music, his story, and everything he experienced with his people should never be forgotten. "Now you rest alongside your loved ones. Rest in peace to all, eternal glory. Taiger forever," they shared in a collective message, accompanied by a photo from the ceremony at the cemetery.
The tribute comes in the wake of recent revelations about the circumstances of his murder, which have deeply affected both the Cuban exile community and the artist's fans on the island.
The day before, the Chief of Police in Miami, Manuel A. Morales, confirmed that authorities have enough evidence to bring Damián Valdez-Galloso, the alleged murderer of El Taiger, to trial. According to the investigations, the reggaeton artist was shot at close range while facing his attacker.
The crime occurred at dawn on October 3 in a rented house in Hialeah, and El Taiger's body was found hours later, abandoned near Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.
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