Jenni Rivera memorial will be ‘graduation into heaven,’ brother says

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Jenni Rivera’s brother said he hopes a public memorial set for Wednesday will mark her ‘graduation into heaven.’

Rivera and six other people aboard a Learjet 25 were killed when it crashed near Iturbide, Mexico, earlier this month.

Mexican authorities have told reporters they believe her plane dropped 28,000 feet at speeds that might have exceeded 600 mph.

The memorial -- called a ‘celestial graduation’ by her family -- will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday at the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk and led by minister Pedro Rivera Jr.

‘We will celebrate the graduation into heaven, with honors, of our beloved mother, daughter and sister Jenni Rivera,’ the family said in a statement.

PHOTOS: Fans remember Jenni Rivera

The family asked for privacy and discretion for a private burial that will be held separately.

Rivera’s children asked that donations be made in lieu of flowers to the Jenni Rivera Love Foundation, in addition to a single white rose.

‘The Rivera family appreciates all the love given to our beloved Jenni Rivera who graduated on December 9th and now rests in the arms of our Lord,’ the statement said.

PHOTOS: Jenni Rivera dies in plane crash

Some media reports had said that a public memorial would be held at the sports arena in Long Beach. The city issued a statement Monday saying that no official Jenni Rivera events were scheduled in Long Beach.

An appreciation: Jenni Rivera was a rare voice

Mexican officials and the National Transportation Safety Board are continuing to investigate the crash. It could take nine months to a year to be concluded.

The same plane, according to U.S. aviation records, sustained “substantial” damage in 2005 when a fuel imbalance left one wingtip weighing as much as 300 pounds more than the other. The unnamed pilot, despite having logged more than 7,000 hours in the air, lost control while landing in Amarillo, Texas, and struck a runway distance marker. No one was injured.

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-- Kimi Yoshino