Thousands of people celebrated the life of Ramon “Chunky” Sanchez Sunday at Chicano Park.
An activist, artist and musician, Sanchez also marched with Cesar Chavez during the Worker's Rights movement.
Macedonio Arteaga knew Sanchez since the late 1980s, when he was in junior college.
“I think he was an inspiration to me as an artist,” Arteaga tells NBC 7. “He gave me a lot of tips, made me laugh a lot, but I think more than anything the fact that he believed … in so many of us. It didn’t matter whether we were kind of learning your craft he was just so supportive. He actually made you believe in yourself more than you believed in yourself.”
Sanchez was most well-known for his song "Chicano Park Samba," which talked about the spirit and struggle of Chicanos. He passed away two days before his 65th birthday.
