While Los Angeles mourns the death of Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela, a pair of artists are working to pay tribute to the beloved sports figure with murals in the City of Angels.
Valenzuela, whose signature screwball stunted athletic rivals and captivated fans, died Tuesday after he was hospitalized earlier this month for an unspecified reason. He passed away at the age of 63; the cause of death was not revealed.
The veteran Dodger’s breakout rookie season led to him being a key role in the team’s 1981 World Series victory against the New York Yankees. And while the team simultaneously grieves his death while preparing to face the Yankees in this year’s World Series, artists Robert Vargas and Jonas Never are completing new works of art in Valenzuela’s image.
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Boyle Heights
Vargas, who famously painted the 150-foot Shohei Ohtani mural in Little Tokyo, shared he was working on a new mural to honor Valenzuela. In an interview with NBC4 just hours before Valenzuela’s death, the artist said his new piece will complement Ohtani’s mural.
“The Shohei mural and the Fernando mural are bookends to the First Street Bridge,” he said.
Now mourning the Mexican-born MLB player, Vargas revealed when his mural is slated for completion.
“The unveiling date is Nov. 1, which is his birthday,” an emotional Vargas told NBC4 following the announcement of Valenzuela’s death. “It also happens to be the Day of the Dead, so it will become an ofrenda, as we would say in our language, which is an altar, but an altar to celebrate.”
“He gave us permission to dream in a way that went beyond the game,” Vargas said. “He was an immigrant who looked like one of us and went out there and did amazing things, and he was always so humble.”
Location: Vargas’ mural will be on the backside of the old Boyle Hotel in Boyle Heights, which is located at 1781 1st St.
Elysian Valley
With spray paints in hand, artist Jonas Never is working tenaciously on his project in Frogtown.
He began his mural at the end of last week, well before Valenzuela’s death was announced and before the Dodgers secured their spot in the World Series. According to Never, who’s known for artwork paying homage to Kobe Bryant and other Dodger players, his current piece has everything coming into full circle.
“Being a mile and a half from Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers were such a natural pick,” he said. “Before we even knew they were going to play in the World Series, we picked this imagery to celebrate the teams and ironically, this Fernando image is from ’81 – the last time they played the Yankees in the World Series. So, it’s a really weird, full connection.”
The artist recalled being on his sofa when he first heard the news. He said he was bombarded by messages of the announcement and was initially in disbelief.
“It’s weird that this was planned and started when he was alive, and now it’s taken on a whole new meaning,” he said. “When I got here, there were candles. I didn’t expect that yesterday.”
Location: Near the intersection of Forney Street and Blake Avenue. It’s unclear when the project will be completed.
