Biography

Date of Birth
21 October 1924, Havana, Cuba

Date of Death
16 July 2003, Fort Lee, New Jersey, USA (brain cancer)

Birth Name
Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso

Nickname
The Queen of Salsa Music
La Guarachera del Mundo

Spouse
Pedro Knight (14 July 1962 – 16 July 2003) (her death)

Trivia
India calls Celia Cruz her “godmother” because Cruz encouraged and supported her singing career.

Has recorded over 70 albums during her 50 year career.

Left Cuba in 1959, when Fidel Castro came into power. She and her band, La Sonora Matancera, toured Mexico for two years before finally moving to the United States where she has since resided.

Died two days after celebrating her 41st wedding anniversary.

Was the third major Cuban salsa star to die in the same week. The other two were Compay Segundo and Tito Duarte.

Has a star on both Hollywood’s Walk of Fame and Miami’s Walk of Fame.

A section of Miami’s famed Calle Ocho (Southwest 8 Street) was renamed Celia Cruz Way in her honor.

Her public wake in Miami brought over 100,000 fans from all over the world to pay their final respects to her.

Buried in Woodlawn Cemetary in the Bronx, New York.

Was also known for her shout of “Azúcar!”, which means “Sugar”.

A monument in front of the city hall in Union City, New Jersey was dedicated in honor after her death. A marker with her name lies between the American and Cuban flags. Union City has one of the largest Cuban populations in the United States outside of the Miami area

She was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 1994 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington D.C.

Was of Afro-Cuban descent

Biography in: “The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives”. Volume 7, 2003-2005, pages 115-117. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2007.

She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6240 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

Personal Quotes
“I wanted to be a mother, a teacher and a housewife. But when I began to sing with La Sonora Matancera, I thought, this is my chance, and I’m going to do it.” (interview with New York Times where she explained her reasons for becoming the lead singer of the famous Salsa band, La Sonora Matancera).