Just hours after his death, a mural of Dodgers star Fernando Valenzuela began to take shape on a Boyle Heights wall.
Robert Vargas, a world-renowned artist with deep roots in the community, was on day two of his journey to immortalize the late Valenzuela in a giant mural on an apartment building near Mariachi Plaza.
“This mural was going to be powerful from the start,” Vargas had said earlier in a social media post. “It’s taken an even deeper meaning now.”
As Vargas descended his scaffolding on Wednesday, his clothes covered in paint, he was greeted by Dodger fans who brought bouquets of marigolds to adorn an altar that had emerged at the site. Photos of the former pitcher sat next to candles and pan de muerto. In the center, No. 34, the famed pitcher’s jersey number.
“A legend passed away so I had to come and pay my respects,” said Mary Lopez, who visited the altar wearing a Valenzuela jersey that traded the traditional Dodger blue and white for the colors of the Mexican flag.
READ MORE: Los Angeles fans pay tribute to Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela
Valenzuela, died Tuesday at the age of 63. His cause of death was not revealed.
That same day, Vargas had just started painting Valenzuela’s mural, which was commissioned by L.A. City Councilmember Kevin de León. It was set to be unveiled on Nov. 1 to mark Valenzuela’s 64th birthday (update: the unveiling has been moved to Sunday, Nov. 3).
Vargas was still in his safety harness when he went live on Instagram the evening of Valenzuela’s death. Fighting back tears, the artist offered condolences to Valenzuela’s family and friends and explained the mural’s significance to his followers and the entire community of Dodger fans across Los Angeles.
“This is an opportunity still to show how much he’s meant to our culture and to me. And for all of you, I’m painting for us. I can’t believe it,” he said on Instagram.
Vargas, who unveiled a larger-than-life mural of Shohei Ohtani at the beginning of the 2024 season, said he was honored to bookend the season by painting two players that represented the diverse community of fans. The Ohtani mural in Little Tokyo faces the one of Valenzuela, something Vargas intended to represent the bridge that connects the cultures in each neighborhood. “These two players really are a microcosm of the city itself,” Vargas added.
Dubbed “Fernandomania Forever” the mural will depict Valenzuela in three different stages of his iconic windup and will be visible from both directions of the neighboring 101 freeway.
Valenzuela, who’d worked as a Spanish-language Dodgers broadcaster for more than two decades, had announced earlier this month that he’d stepped away from the booth for the remainder of the season to focus on his health, according to LAist.
For El Monte resident Cecilia Hernandez-Ussery, to celebrate the legacy of the former baseball icon was to celebrate her family heritage.
“My parents are immigrants from Mexico and it meant a lot to us. To see someone from the location where my parents are from come here and be successful and be good at what he does and represent our culture, it was amazing,” Hernandez-Ussery said.
Hernandez-Ussery was saddened to hear the passing of Valenzuela shortly after learning that Vargas was readying to give “El Toro” a mural treatment. She knew she had to make the trek to the Eastside to honor the life of the former Dodger with other diehard fans in Boyle Heights.
Many fans considered Valenzuela the bridge connecting their Mexican identity to the world of the Major Leagues. When the left-handed pitcher broke onto the professional baseball scene in the early 1980s, his unorthodox style and skill catapulted him into fame. In 1981, Valenzuela won the National League Rookie of the Year honors and the Cy Young award. Soon “Fernandomania” gripped the city and nation.
To Vargas, a Boyle Heights native, the task of memorializing Valenzuela is personal. He said he remembers the Dodger coming to his school, Sheridan St. Elementary, for Fernando Valenzuela Day. Seeing someone who looked like the young student had a lasting impact on the artist and influenced him to give back in the same way today.
“A lot of my creative heroes weren’t necessarily always painters,” Vargas explained. “They were people who did other things and who dared to dream.”
Vargas said he didn’t connect with Valenzuela until he recently threw the ceremonial first pitch at Dodger Stadium in September and was excited to commemorate the pitcher in Boyle Heights. Vargas was saddened to learn of Valenzuela’s passing and stressed that the project goes beyond baseball.
“This is really important because it goes beyond sports. We all love the Dodgers. But it’s about giving thanks and community pride. I’m excited to be able to contribute to that story,” Vargas said.
The Dodgers will be wearing a commemorative patch to celebrate Valenzuela’s legacy during their upcoming World Series run and through the 2025 season.