'Queen of Salsa' dies at 77

Celia Cruz, the Cuban-born singer who went from Havana nightclubs to become the “queen of salsa”, has died.

Cruz, 77, died of a brain tumour at her home in Fort Lee, New Jersey, yesterday, said her publicist, Blanca Lasalle. She had undergone surgery in December but her health faltered.

In the 1950s, Cruz became famous with the legendary Afro-Cuban group La Sonora Matancera. She left Cuba for the United States in 1960 and was credited with bringing salsa music to a broad audience.

Cruz, who recorded more than 70 albums and had more than a dozen Grammy nominations, won best salsa album for La Negra Tiene Tumbao at last year’s Latin Grammy Awards. Among her other best-known recordings are Yerberito Moderno and Que le Den Candela.

Called the “queen of salsa” and the “diva of Latin song”, Cruz remained energetic late into her career. At last year’s Latin Grammys, she showed up wearing a frothy blue-and-white headpiece and a tight red dress and gave a hip-shaking performance.

Ruben Blades, a frequent collaborator and friend, called Cruz a classy icon whose dynamic performances became her trademark.

“Celia Cruz could take any song and make it unforgettable. She transcended the material,” Blades told The Associated Press. ”With Celia, even the most simple of songs became injected with her personality and her vigor.”

“I don’t think you could hear anything she ever did and be indifferent,” he said.

Cruz studied to be a teacher in her native Havana, but was lured into showbusiness when a relative entered her in a radio talent contest, which she won. She later studied music at the Havana Conservatory and performed at the world-famous Tropicana nightclub.

“She became a symbol of quality and strength, and she became a symbol of Afro-Cuban music,” Blades said.

“You couldn’t be a fan of Celia and not be a fan of Afro-Cuban music, because she was Afro-Cuban music.”

Cruz dazzled not only with her voice but also her personality. Always flashing a wide smile, the entertainer gave a highly energetic stage show, punctuated often by her trademark shout, “Azucar!” in the middle of a song. The word, which means sugar in Spanish, became her catchphrase after a waiter apparently asked her, to her surprise, if she wanted sugar in her coffee.

In 1987, she was honoured with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, and several years later, Miami gave Calle Ocho, the main street of its Cuban community, the honourary name of Celia Cruz Way.