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.

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.

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

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

Balart, a Cuban American who fought tirelessly for a free Cuba and who spent 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives as a member of a politically powerful South Florida family, has died after battling cancer,

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 Republican who represented a south Florida district from 1993 to 2011, has died, as confirmed by his brother, Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart.

CBS News Miami's Steve Maugeri explored the legacy the former congressman left behind. "It really was that family pain and tragedy that really put each leader in its place." Vice President JD Vance didn't seem enthusiastic about the length of President Trump's joint address to Congress on Tuesday in a hot mic moment.