Photo via jaimecamil/Instagram

Vicente Fernández may no longer be with us, but his legacy will live on forever. And while many of us are still grieving “El Charro de Huentitán,” we also have something to look forward to. A new series about his life is slated to stream on Netflix, starring none other than Jaime Camil.

The series will be called “The Idol of the People” and was greenlit long before the beloved Ranchera singer died on December 12. In fact, Camil took to Instagram in September to announce his casting and express his excitement at taking on the role.

“Portraying Vicente Fernández, without a doubt, is one of the biggest and most important challenges of my career,” he wrote in Spanish. “In my opinion, Chente is Mexico’s biggest idol and the most monumental exponent of Mexican music all over the world.”

Fernández’s death was especially hard for Camil, as he had already dedicated months to learning about the singer’s life, and considered him an idol.

“Thanks to the project I’m working on, I’ve been able to learn the history, infancy, journey, legacy, and all the adversities he faced,” he wrote in the wake of Fernández’s death. “My Chente, to get to be the person you were has taught me to respect you, to love you, and to honor you even more. No one can deny Vicente is a monument and a treasure for Mexico and Ranchera music on a global scale.”

Camil, who is also a singer and has appeared in American musical productions like “Chicago” and “Schmigadoon!” — and even released two full-length albums in 1999 and 2002 — will sing in the new series, according to Deadline.

According to the Los Angeles Times, “El Charro de Huentitán” will follow Chente’s life from his childhood growing up in Jalisco to the height of his fame. There will be 36 episodes in total.

So far, the internet’s reaction to Jaime Camil’s casting has been largely positive. Originally, the movie was set to be a Caracol TV production that aired in Colombia. It was only recently that Netflix snatched up the worldwide rights to the series.

“It’s great to know that #Netflix is going to air the series because the exposure will be higher,” wrote one Twitter user on Camil’s announcement. “I know that I am going to enjoy watching and listening to your interpretation of Don Vicente Fernández. You put your soul into each job and that goes beyond the screen.”

“The Idol of the People” isn’t the only tribute to Chente’s life. In San Diego, a stunning black-and-white mural of Vicente Fernández debuted in the city’s Sherman Heights neighborhood. The artist Paul Jimenez of Ground Floor Murals was inspired to create the mural because of how important Fernández was to him.

“His music is amazing, but symbolically, he just meant so much more than music to me and my whole family,” Jimenez told Fox 5 San Diego.

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