Her boundless enthusiasm, genuine warmth, and deep-seated humanitarianism made Celia Cruz the music industry’s most accomplished and revered performer … and the world's most notable ambassador of Hispanic culture.

CELIA CRUZ'S LIFE AND ACHIEVEMENTS:

Celia was born in the diverse Santos Suárez neighborhood of La Habana, Cuba as Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso on October 21, 1925. She was the second child of 14 children born to Catalina Alfonso and Simón Cruz. Simón worked in the railroads as a stoker, and Catalina took care of the extended family. 

While growing up in Cuba's diverse 1930s musical climate, Cruz listened to many musicians that later influenced her adult career, such as Paulina Alvarez, Fernando Collazo, Abelardo Barroso, Pablo Quevedo, Arsenio Rodriguez, and Arcaño y sus Maravillas. Celia Cruz also studied the words to Yoruga songs with colleague Mercedita Valdes (an Akpwon santeria singer) from Cuba and Celia made various recordings of this religious genre singing even backup for other female akpwons like Candita Baptista. 

Her first talent award was received in 1947, in her native Havana. Shortly after, she enrolled in the National Music Conservatory, where she studied musical theory, voice, and piano. Soon her music was in demand from the worlds of radio, movies, and television.

In the early 50's she joined the legendary group La Sonora Matancera, and together they wrote some of the most memorable chapters in Afro-Cuban music. This alliance grew beyond the borders of her native island, and her talent was soon exported throughout the world.

On July 15th, 1960, she left her homeland for the United States, where she continued to make history. That decade, she recorded several albums with maestro Tito Puente and together they sparked an interest in salsa among Anglo and European audiences. This phenomenon was known as "the Salsa of the 70's". Her collaborations with other maestros, such as Johnny Pacheco, Willy Colón, and la Fania All Stars, are also memorable.

It is not exactly clear when they started calling her "the queen of salsa", but she has carried the title with class and distinction. Celia has recorded with some of the biggest names in music: Dionne Warwick, Patti Labelle, David Byrne, Gloria Estefan, Wyclef Jean. Because her talent transcends generations and tastes, she has also performed with rock groups such as the Fabulous Cadillacs and Jarabe de Palo.

Celia was also honored numerous times with stars and street sections in some of the world's most visited avenues. In 1987, Hollywood bestowed on her a star in the Walk of Fame. Years later, Miami's Calle Ocho was named "Celia Cruz Way", and in 1991, that city also presented her with a star; an honor that she as also received in other celebrity sidewalks, such as the one in San José, Costa Rica, and the Plaza Galería, in Mexico City. 

During the 1990's, the Smithsonian Institution gave her a Lifetime Achievement Award, the Republic of Colombia awarded her the Presidential Medal in Arts, she received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Hispanic Heritage Awards, and the City of San Francisco declared October 25th, 1997 as "Celia Cruz's Day", to name a few.

But undoubtedly, one of the most memorable moments in her life was in 1994, when in the White House she received from the President of the United States, Bill Clinton, the highest honor this country bestows an artist: the National Endowment for the Arts. 

During a decade which saw the assimilation of Latin music into the US mainstream, Cruz was garlanded with several important titles, not least of which was 1995's Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award. At the end of the decade she signed to Sony, debuting for the label in 2000 with Siempre Viviré.

In spite of all her talent and the awards she has received, Celia Cruz was always incredibly down to earth and her happiness was contagious. These are the traits she's used to write one of the most important chapters in the history of Afrocuban and world music. It's enough to mention Celia's name to have people's spirits fill with joy and their hearts with music. That's because she was the highest representative of this musical genre, and the most notable ambassador of Hispanic culture in the world.

WORDS BY CELIA CRUZ:

 About Tito Puente: "For me, he was a gentleman on stage. His friendship, his love, and his treatment towards me is something I will always cherish."

On "Azúcar" (her most famous phrase): "It started when we were dinning with friends in a restaurant and the waiter asked if I wanted coffee with or without sugar … and I answered: "azúuuuucar", because it was obvious I couldn't drink Cuban coffee without it. That night during the show, I told the story and the audience died laughing. Later, the public started requesting that I tell them the story about the sugar… Until I grew tired of it, and before they asked I came out screaming: "Azúcar" … I never told the story again, but kept repeating the word.

About the awards. "All awards have left their mark in my memory. But I have to tell you that the one I had to wait for the longest was the Star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. From President Ronald Reagan to hundreds of illegal aliens wrote letters requesting it. That's why I've always said that it isn't Celia's star, it's the star of my fans."

On her husband, Pedro Knight: "He has many qualities, but I've always been captivated by the gentleman in him. He still opens the car door for me, every morning the prepares my coffee … If he doesn't do it, I won't have breakfast, because I like it when he spoils me."

Her take on fame: "It is a great satisfaction to be recognized, because we get to know important people, such as presidents and artists … Marlon Brando, Bill Cosby, Quincy Jones, Gloria and Emilio Estefan … And just as easily, continue to be part of the people: to share with them, to receive their love, and to offer ours."

One dream: "To return to Cuba …"

Her hobbies: "I like to listen to all types of music. Every time I visit a country I purchase the local music. I also like to collect gold coins and gold bracelets … "

On Celia Cruz: "I am a very happy lady that tries to be a good friend. I enjoy what I do, and have always liked it. That's why I'm so happy, and why I want to pass on to others my smile and my happiness. In fact, when somebody asks me how I want to be remembered, I always respond the same way: I want to be thought of as someone who's always happy."

On retirement: "It is absolute death, and I'm not talking about artists, because some performers change the focus of their career… I believe inactivity is a cancer in the soul … I've always thought that I'll retire when God takes away my abilities … like Miguelito Valdez, I want to bid farewell to life, while on stage."

A SAD DAY CAME UPON US ... JULY 16, 2003:

 On July 16, 2003, she died of cancerous brain tumor at her home in Fort Lee, New Jersey. She was survived by her husband Pedro Knight, who died February 3, 2007. 

After her death in New Jersey, her body was taken to Miami to lie in state in downtown Miami's Freedom Tower, where more than 200,000 of her South Florida fans paid her final respects. Her body was returned to New Jersey where tens of thousands of fans paid tribute to her at the funeral home. A service was held for her at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue. She was interred in a private mausoleum at the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx; and epilogue in her autobiography notes that, in accordance with her wishes, Cuban soil that she had saved from a visit to Guantánamo Bay was used in her entombment. 

CELIA CRUZ'S LEGACY:

 In February 2004, her latest album Regalo del Alma, won a posthumous award at the Premios Lo Nuestro for best Salsa release of the year. It was announced in December 2005 that a musical called "Assuca" would open in Tenerife before touring the world. The name comes from Cruz's well-known catch phrase of "¡Azúcar!".

On June 4, 2004, the heavily-Cuban-populated town of Union City, New Jersey, heralded its annual Cuban Day Parade by dedicating its new Celia Cruz Park at 31st Street and Bergenline Avenue, with Cruz's widower, Pedro Knight, present. The park features a sidewalk star in Cruz's honor, There are four other similar dedications to Cruz around the world. Stars were later added to the park in honor of Tito Puente, Spanish language television news anchor Rafael Pineda, salsa pioneer Johnny Pacheco, and Benny More.

On May 18, 2005, the National Museum of American History, administered by the Smithsonian Institution and located in Washington D.C., opened "¡Azúcar!", an exhibit celebrating the life and music of Celia Cruz. The exhibit highlights important moments in Cruz's life and career through photographs, personal documents, costumes, videos, and music.