Fans in N.Y. Say Their Goodbyes to Queen of Salsa

A horse-drawn carriage draped in Celia Cruz’s favorite color -- purple -- will carry the Queen of Salsa down Fifth Avenue to St. Patrick’s Cathedral today, leaving the funeral home where tens of thousands of fans said goodbye Monday.

The city will then honor the Havana-born singer the same way she moved the world: with music.

Patti LaBelle will sing “Ave Maria.” Salsa singer Victor Manuelle will also perform. And Cruz’s fans -- who stood 10 deep behind police barricades and marched into the funeral chapel for 11 hours Monday -- will likely again wail “Celia! Celia!”

“She means everything to us,” said Francesco Barone, 39, of the New York City borough of Queens.

Cruz, 77, who won two Grammys and three Latin Grammys, died Wednesday of a brain tumor in her Fort Lee, N.J., home.

After a weekend of memorials in Miami, Cruz’s body was returned to New York on Sunday night. Monday it was New York City’s turn to mourn, and crowds lined up from dawn onward at the funeral home. The mourners included Gov. George Pataki, New York Democratic Sens. Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton, and City Council Speaker Gifford Miller.

“She brought here our roots, our music, our culture, everything that we miss from our countries,” said Floria Candela, 46, a fitting-room attendant at Macy’s. “I feel a deep sadness, a big loss.”

Inside the funeral home, Cruz’s copper coffin was set before a Cuban flag.

The crowd -- many holding roses, worn LPs and dated photos -- murmured about the concerts they shared, about her music and her legacy.