Roberto Arciniega
DOB Unknown – August 1, 2008
Roberto Arciniega, was a a marketing director for Latin label, Fonovisa Records for many years. Throughout his career he worked on projects by such artists as Los Temerarios, Los Tigres del Norte, and Marco Antonio Soli. He passed away in his home at the age of 58. Cause of was not immediately released.
Celia Cruz (Born Ursula Alfonzo)
October 21, 1925 – July 16, 2003
Celia Cruz was an internationally famous Cuban salsa singer who has been rightfully called the Queen of Salsa. Over the course of a career that spanned 50 years, Cruz earned 23 gold albums, making her one of the most successful Cuban and salsa singers. Born in Havana, Cruz was exposed to its beautiful music at a very young age, and by the time she was in her early 20s, she was making recordings for local radio stations, and by the time she was 25, she was fronting a popular Cuban orchestra. In 1959, she and her husband moved to New York City and became U.S. citizens soon after. Cruz recorded several albums with Tito Puente during the ’60s, but it wasn’t until her 1974 release, Celia y Johnny with Johnny Pacheco, did she hit her stride. Big concert halls and television appearances soon followed, and Cruz became an international star. She went on to win three Grammys and another four Latin Grammys. On July 16, 2003, Celia Cruz died of a brain tumor at the age of 77. While her body laid in state in downtown Miami, more than 200,000 people came by to pay their respects.
Carlos Torres Vila
November 9, 1946 – July 16, 2010
Carlos Torres Vila was a popular Argentinine folk singer whose career exploded during the ’70s thanks to his good looks and romantic folk songs. He released around two dozen albums over the course of his career. Carlos Torres Vila was 63 when he passed away following a long illness.
Olga Guillot
October 9, 1922 – July 12, 2010
Born in Cuba, Olga Guillot became a popular Bolero singer who was called La Reina de Bolero, or the Queen of Bolero. Discovered while singing in local clubs in 1954, Guillot was soon whisked off to New York City where she recorded her first album for the respected Decca label. Over the next forty-odd years, she released over 20 albums. By the early ’50s, Guillot had relocated to Mexico where she soon became popular thanks to her music and budding acting career. In 1958, she did her first European tour and had the good fortune to sing alongside the great Edith Piaf. In 1963, Guillot was awarded the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or (The Golden Palm) for being the best Bolero singer in Latin America. She became the first Latin singer to play Carnegie Hall in 1964. A critic of Fidel Castro, her music is banned in Cuba. Olga Guillot was 87 when she passed away on July 12, 2010.
Paulo Moura
July 15, 1932 – July 12, 2010
Paulo Moura was a respected Brazilian saxophonist and clarinetist who, over the course of his career played Carnegie Hall with Sergio Mendes, performed on Cannonball Adderley’s Cannonball’s Bossa Nova, and became the first Brazilian to win a Latin Grammy (2000). Paulo Moura was 77 when he died of lymphoma on July 12, 2010.
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