Celia Cruz Biography: Age, Height, Birthday, Family, Net Worth

Celia Cruz Biography: Celia Cruz, professionally known as Ursula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso de la Santsima Trinidad, was born on October 20, 1925. She is a charismatic performer who is best known for singing ‘guaracha,’ a genre of Cuban music with lyrics about impish characters. Cruz became known as “La Guarachera de Cuba.” She is also known as the “Queen of Salsa” and is one of the most famous Afro-Latinas in the world because of her electrifying performances, vibrant outfits inspired by her African heritage, and powerful vocal.

Celia Cruz Birthday

Celia Cruz, also known as Ursula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso de la Santsima Trinidad, was born on October 20, 1925 in Havana, Cuba, under the zodiac sign Libra. She was the second of four children reared in the working-class neighbourhood of Santos Suarez by her housewife mother Catalina Alfonso and her railway worker father Simon Cruz. Cruz was performing with the neighbourhood ensemble “El Botón de Oro” (The Golden Button) when her cousin entered her in the radio station competition “Hora del té” (The tea hour). Even though she had never held a microphone before, she won. Then, radio stations throughout the city sought her out to perform on weekends.

Her father encouraged her to pursue studies to become a teacher after completing secondary school. To pursue her artistic ambitions, she transferred to the National Conservatory of Music in Havana shortly before graduating from the Normal School for Teachers. When La Sonora Matancera, a renowned Cuban symphonic band, sought a vocalist in 1950, Cruz was preoccupied with performing as a backup singer in many bands. This ended up being her major break. During their tour of North and Central America, they enjoyed tremendous success. As soon as Fidel Castro assumed authority, everything changed.

During the Cuban Revolution of 1959, Havana’s nightlife came to a complete halt. Multiple members of the ensemble travelled from Mexico to the United States. She eventually settled in New Jersey, where she married the ensemble’s first trumpet player, Pedro Knight. In 1961, she became an American citizen. Castro, who is anti-American, expelled her from Cuba. When she left the band to pursue a solo career, Knight assumed the duties of manager and musical director.

During the 1960s and early 1970s, Cruz collaborated with Tito Puente on a number of albums. She soon immersed herself in New York’s thriving salsa culture, a Hispanic dance genre that evolved from musical experimentation with Caribbean sounds. Her original manner of improvised rhymed lyrics added zest to salsa. Her popularity transcended the newer Hispanic generation. In 1973, she performed at Carnegie Hall in a Latin adaptation of the rock opera “Tommy” by The Who. Additional collaborations with Johnny Pacheco and Willie Colón resulted in the production of multiple albums. She performed for as long as she could until her death in 2003, one year after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Celia Cruz Net Worth, Height

Full Name	Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso
Nickname	Celia Cruz, La Guarachera de Cuba, Queen of Salsa
Birth date	October 21, 1925
Death date	July 16, 2003 (age 77)
Zodiac Sign	Libra
Height	5′ 6″

Celia Cruz Biography: Five SURPRISE FACTS

Cruz began singing before her first birthday. Cruz’s mother would awaken in the middle of the night to the sound of her nine-month-old daughter singing.

Cruz’s cousin would invite people to her home to hear her beautiful voice sing her younger siblings to slumber.

A small bag of Cuban soil that Cruz collected during her 1990 performance at Guantanamo Naval Base was deposited in her casket.

Cruz, Selena, Tito Puente, Carmen Miranda, and Carlos Gardel were featured on the United States Postal Service’s Latin Music Legends stamp collection.

Cruz received three honorary doctorates: one in music from Yale in 1989, one in music from Florida International University in 1992, and one in music from the University of Miami in 1999.