Celia Cruz Becomes First Latin Artist On The Apollo's Walk Of Legends

Celia Cruz Is Still Paving The Way For Latinos
Latin singer Celia Cruz performs during a rehearsal for the Latin Grammys in Los Angeles, Monday, Sept. 16, 2002. The Latin Grammys are scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 18. (AP Photo/E.J. Flynn)
Latin singer Celia Cruz performs during a rehearsal for the Latin Grammys in Los Angeles, Monday, Sept. 16, 2002. The Latin Grammys are scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 18. (AP Photo/E.J. Flynn)

Almost eleven years after her death, Celia Cruz is still paving the way for Latinos.

The cuban salsa singer became the first Latin artist to be honored with a place on the Walk of Legends at New York’s Apollo Theater on Saturday, according to EFE. In a concert marking the 50th anniversary of her first appearance at the historic theater, musicians Jose “El Canario” Alberto and Lucrecia performed the star’s most iconic songs.

The Queen of Salsa left the Caribbean island in 1960, after the Cuban Revolution, and never returned. Cruz took her musical career to a new level in the United States, eventually launching a solo career with percussionist Tito Puente and performing with the Fania All Stars in the 1970s.

Since the Salsa legend lost her battle to cancer in 2003, she has been commemorated in numerous ways. Last October, Google celebrated what would have been the Cuban star’s 88th birthday with a doodle that was highly praised.

"There have been many posthumous tributes to Celia in these last ten years, but this one by Google is certainly one of the most important and far-reaching," Omer Pardillo-Cid, sole executor of the Celia Cruz Estate, said in a press release at the time. "She would have loved it!"

Before You Go

How she came to be dubbed the Queen of Salsa

Five Things You Didn't Know About Celia Cruz

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