Celia Cruz

"Singing is my life. It has always been my life. It will always be my life."

Born Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso on Oct. 21, 1925, in Havana, Cuba. Died July 16, 2003, in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
Cruz reached international fame in 1974 with Celia Y Johnny, a collaboration with GRAMMY-nominated Cuban composer/bandleader Johnny Pacheco that spawned "Quimbara," one of her signature hits.
Cruz's 1986 album, Ritmo En El Corazon, brought home her first career GRAMMY for Best Tropical Latin Performance at the 32nd GRAMMY Awards.
She won Salsa Performance for Celia Cruz And Friends: A Night Of Salsa at the inaugural Latin GRAMMY Awards in 2000.
The Queen of Salsa was posthumously presented with a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
She also founded the Celia Cruz Foundation, a nonprofit charity dedicated to raising funds for underprivileged students wishing to study music.

Celia Cruz

"Singing is my life. It has always been my life. It will always be my life."

Born Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso on Oct. 21, 1925, in Havana, Cuba. Died July 16, 2003, in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
Cruz reached international fame in 1974 with Celia Y Johnny, a collaboration with GRAMMY-nominated Cuban composer/bandleader Johnny Pacheco that spawned "Quimbara," one of her signature hits.
Cruz's 1986 album, Ritmo En El Corazon, brought home her first career GRAMMY for Best Tropical Latin Performance at the 32nd GRAMMY Awards.
She won Salsa Performance for Celia Cruz And Friends: A Night Of Salsa at the inaugural Latin GRAMMY Awards in 2000.
The Queen of Salsa was posthumously presented with a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
She also founded the Celia Cruz Foundation, a nonprofit charity dedicated to raising funds for underprivileged students wishing to study music.