MIAMI -- Many gather Saturday morning to remember and honor Lincoln Díaz-Balart, the longtime South Florida congressman and fierce advocate for a free Cuba, who died at 70 after a battle with cancer. The memorial will be held at 11 a.m. at the Corpus Christi Catholic Church located in Miami.

Forced into exile as a boy, the Florida Republican became a voice for democracy in his native Cuba and a committed champion of immigrants.

A memorial in honor of former Cuban-American congressman and South Florida political giant Lincoln Diaz-Balart is set to take place Saturday morning.

The Florida scion of an anti-communist political family, he served in the House for 18 years at a time when Cuban Americans exerted peak influence on U.S. policies.

Balart, a Cuban-American Republican politician who defended immigrants and fiercely opposed Fidel Castro’s regime to help restore democracy in his native Cuba while serving for almost two decades in Congress representing South Florida,

A public memorial mass was held Saturday morning at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Miami for former Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart.

Balart, a Cuban American who fought tirelessly for a free Cuba and who spent 18 years in Congress, has died after battling cancer.

Lincoln Diaz-Balart, a former Miami congressman and towering figure in the Cuban exile community, died Monday after battling cancer. He was 70.

His death prompted an outpouring of tributes from political leaders and community figures who hailed his legacy as a statesman and defender of human rights.

Balart, a prominent Cuban American figure and a longtime Republican politician who represented South Florida in Congress for nearly 20 years, died on Monday morning after battling cancer.

Balart, the longtime South Florida congressman and fierce advocate for a free Cuba, has died at 70. His passing was announced Monday by his brother, U.S. Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart.