HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Celia Cruz, the beloved star known as “La Guarachera de Cuba” and the world’s “Queen of Salsa,” was born 100 years ago on Thursday in Havana, Cuba. She was a frequent performer in Miami, and some of her fans are remembering her in Homestead.
Cruz sang with the Sonora Matancera, a band founded in 1924, from 1950, when “Cao Cao, Maní Picao” was a hit, until 1965, when she went solo and adopted her legendary cry of “¡Azúcar!”
″Bemba Colorá," “Gracia Divina,” “Diosa Del Ritmo,” and “Quimbara” were some of her signature songs in the 1970s and 80s. Her fans came to expect her colored wigs and her lavish dresses.
“You see that smile and it gives you happiness,” said Omer Padillo-Cid, who met her when he was 14 years old and went on to become the executor of her estate.
The Celia Cruz Estate and Leon Medical Centers collaborated on a traveling exhibit that is on display at 2250 NE 8 St., in Homestead, until Oct. 25. The exhibit includes some of her dresses and wigs, photographs, videos, and awards.
Former President Bill Clinton awarded her the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1998, she released her “Mi Vida Es Cantar” album with “La Vida Es Un Carnaval.” She received Latin Grammys for “A Night of Salsa” and “Siempre Viviré.”
Cruz released her “La Negra Tiene Tumbao” album in 2002 and was diagnosed with breast cancer and brain cancer. She died on July 16, 2003, in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Her remains were at Gesu Church in Miami for two days. Her funeral service was in New York.
Earlier this year, the Museum of Art and Design at Miami Dade College collaborated with the Celia Cruz Foundation for a temporary exhibit in Hialeah.
Padillo-Cid said he has been amazed by how some of the Leon Medical Center’s residents in Homestead remember their experiences with Cruz.
“You see people that are here say, ‘Oh my God! I remember this TV show in Cuba,’ and they say the black and white vintage footage and it’s amazing the reaction,” Padillo-Cid said.
Leon Medical Centers plans to reopen the traveling exhibit on Nov. 1 at the Flagler location at 7950 NW 2 St., in Fontainebleau, near Westchester. After it closes in the Flagler location on Nov. 29, the exhibit will reopen on Dec. 1 at the East Hialeah location at 445 E. 25 St., and close on Dec. 27.
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