Culture bids farewell to Manuel de la Calva: "No great person ever dies completely."

Manuel de la Calva composed more than 1,200 songs throughout his life, as well as a few hymns sung in chorus by children, parents, and grandparents: it made perfect sense that his farewell should take place at the Palacio de Longoria, headquarters of the SGAE (Spanish Association of Sports and Entertainment) in Madrid. Fans of the Dúo Dinámico, as well as artists and politicians, gathered there on Wednesday.

The funeral chapel opened shortly before 11:00 a.m. "Since we've been to all the concerts, the least we could do was come and say goodbye," one of his fans told Europa Press upon arrival. Some showed up wearing Dúo Dinámico T-shirts, as well as bags or caps with the group's logo.

The chapel was set up on the first floor of the palace. Ramón Arcusa, the other half of Dúo Dinámico , was there before it opened and addressed the media briefly: "It was a hard blow. We're left with the memory and the songs," he said, moved.

Floral wreaths were placed next to the coffin from his wife and children, the SGAE Foundation and its board of directors, the Society of Performing Artists of Spain (AIE), the Academy of Music, the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, and the record label Peermusic España. Next to the coffin, two photos of the artist filled the room: a recent snapshot with a smiling image and another from when he was younger, in black and white, with a serious face.

Among the well-known faces who attended the chapel were singer Massiel, artist Soledad Giménez, composer Carlos Toro, Brazilian singer Regina Do Santos, and the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun.

Toro, the composer of the lyrics to the legendary "Resistiré," remembered the artist, stating that "a multigenerational giant has been lost" because grandmothers, children, and grandchildren know his songs. "He doesn't die completely; no grown-up person dies completely."