Friends, family, and hundreds of fans bid farewell to Manuel de la Calva in Madrid.

A few minutes after 11 a.m. this Wednesday, dozens of people gathered at the doors of the Madrid headquarters of the General Society of Authors and Publishers (SGAE). The improvised funeral chapel was about to open to say goodbye to Manuel de la Calva, half of the Dúo Dinámico who died yesterday, at the institution where the musician left 766 registered songs and which last year awarded him its medal of honor. His family was already inside: his son Daniel, "hanging in there"; his daughter Victoria, his wife, Mirna Carvajal; and his brother in training, Ramón Arcusa, the other half of the legendary duo. Thus began a long day in which the Palacio de Longoria would remain open to the public for nine hours: from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The dozens of early morning fans soon grew to hundreds, and as the day progressed, they have surpassed 500.

Many friends, figures in Spanish music, have also come to the SGAE, some deeply influenced by the work of De la Calva and his partner. Like Massiel, who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1968 and ignited her career with La la la . “It’s not mine, it’s theirs,” the singer made clear upon arriving. “It’s from the group that defined an era and brought pop into Spain,” she continued, excited. It has been a tough day in which there has been nonstop talk about music and the songs that gave color to an entire era. Arcusa himself announced it yesterday in a message on his X account: “Don’t cry for him, he wouldn’t like it. He was the soul of the Duo, always happy, optimistic, positive. Sing with him in this farewell.”

And her friends have listened, some literally, like Regina do Santos, the famous Brazilian singer from 1990s television, who shared “more than twenty gigs” with De la Calva. “He was very cheerful, like me, and he wants us to remember him that way. He lived a long time and was part of the greatest pop group Spain has ever had,” she said before breaking into a very brief fragment of “Resistiré .” And if one title was mentioned this Wednesday, it was that anthem that re-emerged as a banner of resistance during the COVID pandemic in Spain in 2020. Also remembering her were José Miguel Fernández Astrón, Loreto Valverde, and Paco Clavel, who said of his friend: “It’s an irreparable loss, but that’s life.” “He was a very humble person, very important in our careers. A great person and an even better composer.”

Carlos Toro, the author of the lyrics to that milestone, "that intergenerational song that grandmothers, children, and grandchildren listen to," also passed by, heartbroken. "Manolo never completely dies. Songs are immortal, and Resistiré is an anthem," he said upon arrival.

Nor did the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, who attended on behalf of the Government to "pay tribute to one of the country's great artists," miss the opportunity to speak about the song, especially its resurgence during the pandemic "as an anthem of resistance." And regarding the Duo, he said: "My mother was a great admirer, and I listened to them at home as a child. For me, as for many families in Spain, it was a family affair." Other political authorities also attended, such as the acting Mayor of Madrid, Inma Sanz, and the regional government's Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Sport, Mariano de Paco.

But if music has anything, it's the power to inspire thousands of people. And at the farewell to one of the members of the pioneering group of the fan phenomenon in Spain, his fans were there. Many of them, women over 65. Some dressed in merchandise from another era, others clutching flowers, and many more in tears as they bid farewell to "the memory of their youth." Or like Goyi Herrera, sitting in her wheelchair, armed with a black and white photograph signed by the duo, as a talisman to preserve those memories.

There were also the most unconditional fans, such as Loli Novillo, Julia Cedillo, and Pilar Fernández, a trio of octogenarians who form Lasdinámicas , the fan club that has followed the group for more than 50 years and who still manage a pair of fan pages on Facebook and Twitter. “ They were our youth; we followed them everywhere . And at the concerts, we were 15 again. Just like them, they never got tired,” they say, almost united in a single voice. And they take the opportunity to reveal one of the secrets of the Duo's success: “Of all the artists there have been, no one has cared for the fans like they have. They have taken such good care of us. They have always been very affectionate with everyone; even today, their families have treated us well. We will be Dinamicas until death.”