Beatríz Llamas Lopez, La Paloma Del Norte, spread her beautiful white wings one last time on Monday, May 15, 2023.  She flew to heaven to join her family, friends, and loved ones. She was an enormous part of our lives and her loss is immeasurable. It is rare to find someone that can truly balance so many aspects of her life, much less achieve this level of greatness. Our mother, Beatríz Llamas Lopez was a very accomplished artist, absolutely magnificent person, and an incredibly loving mother. Que Siempre Viva La Paloma Del Norte!

Beatríz was born on August 5, 1936, in Aguascalientes, México. In 1951, the Llamas family moved to the US eventually settling in San Antonio, TX. Encountering discrimination towards Mexican immigrants in public school, Beatríz soon dropped out. However, it was during this time that her dream of becoming a Mexican singer began to take shape. During the next several years, as her vocal abilities expanded, she soon drew the attention of the owners of Sombrero Records where she began recording singles as "La Paloma Del Norte" shortly thereafter became the lead singer for Paulino Bernal. This time in her life brought some of the biggest musical accomplishments as well as enormous personal demands. She toured with Mariachi Chapultepec and Conjunto Bernal, and she worked with KCOR—one the country's first full-time, Spanish-language radio stations—sharing the stage with Alberto and Arturo López, the latter to whom she later married. One very notable performance during this time was when she became the first Tejana to sing at New York's Madison Square Garden in 1967. In 1970, after a horrible tragedy took the life of her husband and the father of her children, she decided to end her performing and touring career to focus on raising her family. However, after a few years out of the limelight, many fellow musicians and adoring fans begged and convinced her to return to her musical career. She limited her tours and performances but maintained an active recording career for the rest of the 1970s, 80s and 90s as well as dedicating time to raise her children. In 1990, the Texas Music Museum honored Beatríz Llamas, Lydia Mendoza, and Rita Vidaurri with an exhibit at the Texas State Capitol Rotunda. In 1995, she was inducted into the Tejano Music Hall of Fame, followed by induction into the Tejano Conjunto Hall of Fame early in 1999. While these accomplishments are more than most performers ever achieve in a lifetime, Beatríz was not done yet. In the 2000s, she (along with 3 other legendary vocalists from San Antonio) formed Las Tesoros de San Antonio presented by Esperanza. All four of these ladies had long and impressive careers but it was always Beatríz who was called on to start every show because she knew how to get a crowd fired up. They entertained audiences for years with their music and precious life stories. Finally, in 2019, Beatríz traveled to Washington, DC to receive a National Endowment of the Arts National Heritage Fellowship Medal of Recognition.

Beatriz Llamas Lopez is survived by:

Children - Martha Garza, John Arturo Lopez, Jorge Lopez, Gustavo Lopez

Grandchildren – John Garza, Jessica Garza, Joey Garza, Analisa Garza, Vianza Lopez, Allison Lopez, and Justin Lopez as well as several great grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

SERVICES

Monday, May 22

Castillo Funeral Home, 520 N. General McMullen SATX 78228

4pm-8pm Viewing

6pm Rosary

Tuesday, May 23

9am Funeral Mass

St John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 4603 St. John's Way SATX 78212

Internment

San Fernando Catholic Cemetery II