Jorge Junior, the leader of the music group "Los 4" and cousin of the late Cuban reggaeton artist José Manuel Carbajal, known professionally as El Taiger, has been at the forefront of organizing the funeral arrangements. He recently took to social media to clarify that the ashes of the "La Historia" singer remain in the United States. This response was prompted by a claim from Cuban-American broadcaster Enrique Santos, who suggested that El Taiger's ashes were already in Cuba, allegedly citing Jorge Junior's statements as confirmation.
"Enrique Santos, someone whom I considered serious and not prone to gossip, look at what he posted. Please, let my cousin rest in peace, I ask you from the heart, and Enriquito, respect yourself, you're losing credibility," wrote Jorge Junior in a social media story, accompanying his post with a screenshot of Santos' statement. "My cousin is still in the U.S. until everything is handled correctly," he concluded.
The death of El Taiger, who passed away last Thursday after a week-long battle for his life at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital following a gunshot wound to the head, has sparked numerous legal complications and apparent disputes over his final resting place.
The situation was further inflamed last Saturday by Univision journalist Mario Vallejo, who revealed in a Facebook live stream alleged previous disagreements among those involved. Some were advocating for El Taiger's ashes to be interred in Cuba alongside his mother's grave, while others insisted that his final resting place should be in the United States. Vallejo later reported that the “disagreements and discussions between a friend of El Taiger, who obtained a notarized power of attorney signed by the musician’s grandmother - who is reportedly showing symptoms of Alzheimer’s - and the musician's family, now in Miami,” had been resolved.
Meanwhile, the reggaeton star's management team announced on Tuesday that fans would have the opportunity to say their goodbyes at a memorial service next Saturday. The service will take place at the San Lazaro Catholic Church in Hialeah. A statement on the musician’s Instagram confirmed that the public memorial will be held on Saturday, October 19, starting at 1:30 p.m.