I still recall the hundreds of thousands loyal fans that gathered at the Freedom Tower in Miami, Fla. on this day in 2003 to pay their final respects to the “Queen of Salsa,” Celia Cruz. Wednesday marks the 11th anniversary of her death, yet her legacy keeps living.
Cruz gained international success and was highly respected worldwide for standing strong against the Castro government and doing what she felt in her heart –singing.
Though her music is banned in Cuba, the GRAMMY-winning artist continued her journey into people’s heart with songs such as “Rie y Llora,” “La Vida es un Carnaval” and “La Negra Tiene Tumbao.”
Celia Cruz was born in Havana, Cuba’s Santos Suárez, neighborhood on October 21, 1925 to a poor family. She died on July 16th, 2003 in Fort Lee, New Jersey from complications after surgery to remove a brain tumor.
This is how we pay homage to the legendary Cuban artist, by noting 11 unique things that we miss about having her around.
1. We miss Celia Cruz’s energy on stage.
2. We also miss her colorful wardrobe and matching wigs.
3. The adorable way she referred to her husband as “mi cabecita de algodón” (my little cotton head) because of his halo of white hair.
Pedro Knight and Celia Cruz had unconditional love and support for each other. Their relationship was a 41-year romance.
4. We also miss Celia Cruz being unstoppable when producing albums, which included hits-after-hits.
Celia and Johnny Pacheco’s music is preserved by the US Library of Congress
5. We miss how humble she was and her music with a positive message.
Source
I think it's safe to say that all of us Latinos, regardless of what country we come from, grew up with some Celia. What's your favorite Queen Celia Cruz song?