A funeral mass for singer-songwriter Freddy Fender will be held Wednesday (Oct. 18) at the Queen of the Universe Catholic Church in San Benito, Texas. Born Baldemar Huerta, he died Saturday (Oct. 14) in Corpus Christi, Texas, at age 69 after a battle with cancer. He was known for mid-'70s solo hits such as "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" and "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" before becoming a member of the Tex-Mex supergroup, the Texas Tornados, during the '80s. His survivors include wife Vangie Huerta of Corpus Christi, sons Baldemar "Sonny" Huerta Jr. of Corpus Christi and Daniel Huerta of Jacksonville, Fla., and daughters Tammy Huerta Mallini of Houston and Marla Huerta Garcia of Victoria, Texas. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to: Freddy Fender Scholarship Fund Account, c/o Capital One Bank, 198 South Sam Houston Blvd., San Benito, TX 78586.