Flamenco legend Paco de Lucia's body is flown back to his native Spain

The body of flamenco guitar virtuoso Paco de Lucia was flown home to Spain on Thursday, two days after the 66-year-old musician died of a heart attack in Mexico.

Born Francisco Sanchez Gomez, the guitarist died of a heart attack on Tuesday after feeling unwell while playing football on a beach with his eight-year-old son near the Caribbean resort of Playa del Carmen.

He was repatriated on a flight to Madrid, accompanied by his wife and two children, and is expected to arrive there on Friday after a layover in New York, the Spanish consul in Cancun told AFP.

De Lucia has a home in Mexico's Mayan Riviera, where he spent much of his time in the past few years.

A tribute is being organized in Madrid's Royal Theater. He will be buried in his home town of Algeciras in southern Spain on Saturday.

De Lucia brought flamenco to a world audience with his speedy fingerwork, which is credited with modernizing the gypsy tradition of his native Andalusia by absorbing jazz and pop influences.

[Image via Agence France-Presse]