Celia Cruz: The Queen of Salsa Dies at 77

Celia Cruz was a Cuban-American singer known as the Queen of Salsa. Born on October 21, 1925, in Havana, Cuba, she became the lead singer of the band Sonora Matancera in 1950.

She left Cuba in 1960 and settled in the United States, recording with Tito Puente and, in the 1970s, with the Fania All-Stars. She sold more than 30 million records and won Grammy and Latin Grammy awards, including a posthumous Grammy for Regalo del Alma.

Cruz received the National Medal of Arts and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She married Pedro Knight in 1962. She died of brain cancer at her home in Fort Lee, New Jersey, on July 16, 2003, at age 77. In 2024 she became the first Afro-Latina on a U.S. quarter.

Achievements: Queen of Salsa, 30 million records sold, National Medal of Arts, Walk of Fame star.

Birth: October 21, 1925 - Havana, Cuba.

Profession: Singer.

Interesting Facts: A bag of Cuban soil was placed in her coffin at her request.