Legendary peformer Flor Silvestre continues after husband's death

WESLACO — Tener tu amor es un regalo de Dios, ser tu esposa es un privilegio…

Legendary film star Flor Silvestre fought back the tears when asked to describe her late husband, Antonio Aguilar.

“El unico amor de mi vida (the only love of my life),” she said, sitting inside her hotel room in Weslaco. “Mas que nadie, el era el amor de mi vida (more than anyone, he was the love of my life).”

It has been a rough four months for Silvestre, following Aguilar’s death on June 19 at the age of 88. Not a day passes that she doesn’t think about her one true love and the 50 years they spent together — especially the time they spent on stage.

But even legends are vulnerable and death inevitable, she said.

Silvestre, along with her son Antonio Aguilar Jr., have mustered the strength to return to the stage, dedicating their upcoming performances to a beloved husband and father.

She is slated for a one-night only performance Saturday night at Harlon Block Sports Complex in Weslaco.

It is the first scheduled public performance since her husband’s death.

“Music is my therapy,” she said. “When I get on stage I’ll sing for him.”

Silvestre says she feels she owes a debt of gratitude to the fans and well-wishers, who supported the Aguilar family through endless prayer during Antonio’s final days.

Special guests at Saturday’s event include her son Antonio and his Mariachi Monumental Mexicano group, as well as Marcel Rubiales and comedians Huarachin y Huarachon.

The Aguilar family calls Weslaco their second home and once owned a ranch and condominium in the area.

On Thursday, Silvestre — born Guillermina Jimenez — said she planned on dedicating two of the couple’s favorite songs, “Que Bonito Amor,” and “Nuestro Gran Amor,” to her husband.

Everywhere she travels, Silvestre carries a black-and-white portrait of the man his fans lovingly refer to as “Don Antonio.”

“I think about the 50 years he gave me and not the illness that killed him,” she said. “I never thought ahead, to live a day without him. But I keep him close at heart.”

Born in Salamanca, Guanajuato, Mexico, Silvestre got her start as a folkloric singer. Her debut on the silver screen was in the 1950 movie Te Besare En La Boca, alongside Sara Montes and Fernando Soto.

She loved to sing as a young girl and many say she was destined to be a star. After her first live performance in Mexico City, Jimenez transformed herself into the now legendary artist Flor Silvestre.

In 1955, she married the man she calls her best friend and most faithful companion. They had two children together, Antonio Aguilar Jr. and Pepe Aguilar, both of whom followed in their parents’ grand artistic footsteps.

Today, Silvestre is proving the old adage that the “show must go on.”

“I’m doing fine, but I ask God for strength every chance I get,” she said in Spanish. “There are days that I fall and I fall hard.”

“I knew this would be hard and that there was a possibility I couldn’t get through (his death).”

Often revered as the equivalent of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans throughout their careers, the Mexican couple spent years traveling the United States and Mexico with their sons in one of the most elaborate equestrian-style shows in history.

The family’s final performance in the Rio Grande Valley was in March 2006. Over the summer, Pepe Aguilar performed solo at Dodge Arena, where his mother appeared on stage to greet the crowd but did not sing.

“I never thought that would be our final show (in the Valley), as a family,” she said through tears. “My husband loved Weslaco and the Valley, and the people here.

“Now, I will last however long God wants me to be here.”

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Miriam Ramirez covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4468.

WHO: Flor Silvestre, Antonio Aguilar Jr.

with Marcela Rubiales, Huarachin y Huarachon and Sebastian Zarate’s Precision Riders and Rope Tricks

WHEN: Saturday, 7 p.m.

WHERE: Harlon Block Sports Complex, 1020 W. 18th St., Weslaco

COST: $20 (available at the door)

TICKET OUTLETS: Ruben Cardenas’ State Farm Insurance, 603 N. Texas Blvd., Weslaco; Mid-Valley Exxon, 1006 N. Texas Blvd., Weslaco; Lionel’s Western Wear, 332 S. Texas Blvd., Weslaco.