Kobe Bryant honored by mariachi musicians with emotional rendition of 'Amor Eterno' outside Staples Center
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Among the hundreds of people who gathered Wednesday evening at the makeshift memorial near Staples Center were more than a dozen mariachi musicians from throughout Los Angeles.
They were there to honor Laker legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and the seven other victims who perished in Sunday's helicopter crash in Calabasas.
"He really embraced the Latino community. He did interviews in Spanish," mariachi player Santiago Alberto said. "L.A. is a mostly Latino community and they welcomed him with open arms when he came to L.A."
WATCH: Mariachi band performs as Kobe Bryant fans continue to mourn at Staples Center
Alberto put out a call to local mariachi performers online. Members of different bands, they played together for the first time Wednesday night.
"This is how we mourn our people, with mariachi, with live bands," Moorpark resident Ramon Avila said. "We mourn him, but we also gratify him for everything he did for us."
Among the songs performed by the musicians was a heart-rending version of "Amor Eterno," or "Eternal Love," a beloved mariachi standard.
