Robert Vargas had barely wrapped up his first day of work on a Boyle Heights mural honoring Fernando Valenzuela on Tuesday night when he heard the news that the beloved Dodgers pitcher had died at age 63. “I still had my harness on,” Vargas said early Wednesday. “I wasn’t very far away [from the mural site].
I was having dinner after leaving there, so I returned to the wall just to feel connected to the space that I’ve already developed the relationship with as I’m about to paint this. “Now it takes on even a greater meaning. It’s still a celebration of a remarkable life, but it also now becomes an altar .
” The Los Angeles-based artist found that out immediately upon returning to his work site at an apartment building a block west of Mariachi Plaza . “There were news crews already there,” he said. “ And there were even friends who came by with marigolds, which are the flowers for the Day of the Dead altars .
” Valenzuela came from a small town in Mexico and became an MLB sensation with the Dodgers in 1981, when he sparked the cultural phenomenon known as “ Fernandomania ” and helped L.A. defeat the New York Yankees in the World Series .
“I was a kid when all of this was happening and I just know that he is someone that is inspiring to not only the Latin culture, but many cultures,” said Vargas, whose mural is titled, “Fernando Mania Forever.” “He’s just an inspiring figure that did some amazing things no matter where he came from.” A.