Memorial Service For Slain Musician Sells Out

By Jude Joffe-Block
June 03, 2014

Tito
(Via YouTube)
Tito Torbellino was born in Phoenix and performed on both sides of the border. He's shown here in one of his music videos.

PHOENIX — A public memorial service is scheduled Tuesday evening for a Phoenix-born banda musician who was gunned down in Mexico last week. Singer Tito Torbellino was among several people murdered in the Mexican state of Sonora in recent days.

Tito Torbellino was actually the singer’s stage name. He was born Tomás Tovar Rascón in Phoenix. He recently celebrated his 33rd birthday.

Tovar Rascón was killed in Obregon, Sonora, at a restaurant.

His music was mostly about love and romance. But in one of his popular music videos he’s shown holding a gold-plated rifle.

A memorial service is scheduled for Tuesday at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix. The venue holds 2,500 people and sold out in advance.

Three days before Tovar Rascón was killed, another Arizona man was also murdered in Sonora.

The Arizona Daily Star is reporting that since then, there were at least five more violent deaths reported in Sonora.