Lupillo Rivera shares unpublished photo from the day of the delivery of Jenni Rivera’s remains

One day before the 13th anniversary of Jenni Rivera’s death, her brother Lupillo Rivera surprised the public at the Guadalajara International Book Fair by presenting Tragos amargos, an autobiography in which he relives the days following the air tragedy of December 9, 2012.

During the talk, the singer explained that the book allowed him to “empty his heart”, sort out memories and release emotions he had kept for years, especially those related to the departure of the “Diva de la Banda”.

In this volume, published in 2025, Lupillo reviews family episodes, his musical career and intimate moments of his life, but one of the most difficult chapters to write, he acknowledged, was the one dedicated to Jenni.

The interpreter confessed that the death of his sister plunged him into a very dark period, marked by alcohol abuse and depression, from which it took him years to emerge.

Doubts, testimonies and reconstruction of Jenni Rivera’s tragedy

In Bitter Drinks, Rivera reconstructs the days following the crash of the Learjet 25 in which Jenni was traveling, which occurred in Iturbide, Nuevo Leon, shortly after taking off from Monterrey to Toluca. He recounts the family’s experiences while waiting for official confirmation, as well as conversations with people who were at the ranch near the area where the remains of the aircraft and the singer’s personal belongings were found.

According to what he said at the FIL, some testimonies he heard about that early morning -such as accounts of a sky that turned reddish- made him question the version that it was all a simple accident. These perceptions, he admits, are part of what he and his family felt in those days and that is why he decided to include them in the book, although he recognizes that they are personal impressions and not conclusive evidence.

Among the strongest passages, Lupillo mentions alleged irregularities that he learned of some time later, such as the existence of recordings in which, according to his version, the pilot had initially refused to take off. The singer maintains that he insisted that the aircraft take off despite warning signs, but he is careful to clarify that his doubts do not amount to a direct accusation. “There are indications to think that it was not an accident,” he has stated, although he admits that he cannot claim that his sister “was killed.”

Lupillo Rivera’s unpublished photos on the last goodbye to his sister

One of the most impressive moments of the presentation in Guadalajara was when Lupillo talked about the unpublished photographs he decided to show for the first time. He revealed that he and his brothers Juan and Gustavo agreed to document the moment when Jenni’s remains were delivered to them in Monterrey. According to Lupillo, they received the embalmed remains in “a small box” and took a photograph of the three of them kissing the container, as an intimate gesture of farewell.

Jenni’s body was transported in a carriage that Lupillo himself drove to a chapel in San Nicolas, Nuevo Leon, where they performed a small religious ceremony as a family before the casket was taken to the United States for the public funeral.

The singer admits that the decision to show these images was painful, but he considers it part of his need to tell the truth of how they lived, from the inside, the loss of “La Gran Señora”. With this book, he says, he seeks to leave testimony of his grief, of the questions that still accompany him and of the impact that Jenni’s death left on the Rivera dynasty, just when her musical legacy continues to live on and her figure continues to mark new generations of fans.

Find out more at ‘QueOnnda.com’.