• The Foreign Ministry is providing consular assistance to the family of José José.
  • The Culture Ministry and the Mexico City government are preparing a program of performances to commemorate the singer.

On September 28, the death in Miami, Florida of José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz, better known as José José, was announced. The Foreign and Culture Ministries conveyed their sincere condolences to the singer’s family and, at the instructions of Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s consulate in Miami contacted the family and provided all necessary assistance.

From the first, Mexico’s consulate in Miami has acted according to international law and especially according to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963), and in full compliance with U.S. law and the desires of the singer’s family.

In order to facilitate communication within the singer’s family, the consul general, Jonathan Chait Auerbach, arranged a private meeting on October 1 between consular staff and the children and widow of José José. As a result of the meeting, the family agreed to two tributes for the singer, one in Miami and the other in Mexico. With the family’s permission, these agreements were made public.

In addition, the singer's children and widow agreed that, after the tribute in Miami, the singer's remains would be transported to Mexico for a second ceremony in the Palace of Fine Arts (Bellas Artes) coordinated by the Culture Ministry, followed by a mass in the Basilica of Guadalupe and a funeral in a Mexico City cemetery.

On Wednesday, October 9, on behalf of the Culture Ministry, the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL), with support from the Mexico City government, will present a program including performances by members of the National Symphony Orchestra and members of the Opera Studio of Fine Arts and the Saloma Quartet.

The tribute will begin at 10:00 a.m. and end at 1:00 p.m.

It should be noted that, on behalf of the Mexican government, Consul General Chait presented his condolences to the family and friends of José José during the funerals that took place in Miami and participated in the open-casket tribute to the singer in the Miami-Dade County Auditorium.

At the conclusion of the tribute there, the singer’s youngest daughter, Sara Sosa, announced publicly that she and her mother had decided to cremate her father’s remains, with half remaining in Miami and the other half going to Mexico for the tributes.

Throughout the process, the Mexican consulate has repeatedly stated its willingness to continue providing respectful consular assistance to the singer’s family. For this reason, the necessary documents were expedited. The ashes are scheduled to be transferred to Mexico next Wednesday, October 9 in the morning.