Celia Cruz

Celia Cruz (Ursula Hilaria Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso) (October 21, 19241 – July 16, 2003) was a Cuban salsa singer who spent most of her career living and working in the United States. Cruz was one of the most successf

Celia Cruz (Ursula Hilaria Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso) (October 21, 19241 – July 16, 2003) was a Cuban salsa singer who spent most of her career living and working in the United States. Cruz was one of the most successful Cuban performers of the 20th century, with twenty-two gold albums to her name. Leila Cobo of Billboard Magazine once said "Cruz is undisputedly the best-known and most influential female figure in the history of Afro-Cuban music." (1)

Cruz was born in the Santo Suarez neighborhood of Havana. Her parents were Catalina Alfonso (Ollita) and Simón Cruz. When she was a child, she earned her first pair of shoes by singing to a couple of tourists.