Mourners gather for Emilio Navaira's funeral

Tejano music legend died last week

Emilio Navaira (AP Photo)

SAN ANTONIO – Friends, family and fans of Tejano music legend Emilio Navaira gathered Monday at San Fernando Cathedral for the late singer's funeral.

The funeral mass, which is open to the public, started at 1 p.m., but mourners began arriving hours earlier.

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The church was packed with a standing room only crowd. Fans gathered in the plaza outside the church, hoping for a chance to get inside.

Navaira died May 16 at his home in New Braunfels. He was 53.

He was described as the Garth Brooks of Tejano music and is widely credited for bringing the genre to the mainstream in the late 1980s and '90s, along with Selena.

Thousands of people attended a memorial service on Sunday at the Freeman Coliseum.

See more from the funeral at KSAT.

Emilio performed at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in 1990, '95-97, '99 and 2007.