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Fans chant 'Jose!' during Fernandez's funeral procession

Joe Raedle / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Jose Fernandez's tragic death has touched the lives of people who never even met him.

During Wednesday's emotional funeral procession, hundreds of fans joined Fernandez's grieving family, teammates, and closest friends in honoring the late Marlins star, who was killed along with two other men in a boating accident early Sunday morning.

The procession began promptly at 2 p.m. ET in Miami and preceded a public viewing at a church in the Coconut Grove neighborhood where hundreds of strangers were expected to pay their respects to the beloved Cuban who had inspired so many people on and off the baseball field. As the motorcade carrying Fernandez's body drove down Felo Ramirez Drive, mourners in attendance chanted "Jose" in unison.

According to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, the motorcade left the West Plaza at Marlins Park at exactly 2:16 p.m. in honor of Fernandez's No. 16, which team owner Jeffrey Loria said Monday will never be worn by a Marlins player again.

"He just had this swagger and this style,'' Ralph Lopez, a Fernandez fan from Long Beach, Calif., told Crasnick. "It was captivating. I bought the MLB package so I could follow him. I was jealous of the fans here because they got to see him all the time. I was going to come to a Jose Day to see him, but I never got the chance.''

Wednesday's powerful procession saw Marlins players and executives surround Fernandez's hearse in an emotional sendoff for one of the sport's most popular players.

A private funeral for Fernandez has been scheduled for Thursday.

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