In what was only the fourth google doodle commemorating a Latin American, Celia Cruz’ image was celebrated on her birthday on Monday. She would have been 88.
The singer, known as the “Queen of Salsa” was renowned for her grand, colorful outfits and makeup and her songs came to shape salsa music in the 20th century. Cruz, who would later become a naturalized American citizen, was born to a large family in 1925 in Havana Cuba. While her father aspired for her to be a spanish teacher, Cruz had her mind set on becoming an entertainer. In her lifetime she would record over 78 albums, and her trademark phrase “¡Azúcar!” would season many of her songs.
Her death at age 77 to brain cancer in July 2003 was widely mourned in the Hispanic community, and she won a posthumous award at Premios lo nuestro in 2004 for best salsa release of the year.
According to Billboard.com, the idea to commemorate Cruz’s memory in a Google doodle began earlier this year when Google executives saw several projects by Eventus, a multicultural entertainment marketing company based in Miami, to coincide with the 10th anniversary of Cruz’s death on July 15. When that date passed, Google approved the doodle for Cruz’s birthday. “From the onset, they were very receptive to celebrating anything surrounding her,” said Omer Pardillo-Cid, Cruz’s longtime manager and now sole executor of her estate.
Tiana Soto, a sophomore studying Spanish and a member of the all female acapella group Ladies in Red, noticed with pride that the Google home page was featuring one of her favorite artists. “I grew up listening to the voice of Celia Cruz. My dad always sang ‘Guantanamera’ to me when I was a baby, and her songs were always playing in my house.” For Soto, Celia Cruz’s music was a way to create a connection between the two languages spoken in her home, English and Spanish. “I love to sing, and Celia is an inspiring figure that I can admire. She is, without a doubt, the most influential singer in the history of Salsa music. It’s appropriate that we are celebrating her unforgettable legacy!” Soto said.
N.C. State’s Latin Dance team Sube Ritmo has also been known to use songs by Celia Cruz for their salsa performances. Nationally, Cruz has been remembered with a postage stamp of her image, and in 2005, an exhibit of her life and career with photos and personal artifacts opened in the National Museum of American History.
Cruz’s label, Sony Music U.S. Latin, released an iBook titled “Celia Cruz: The Lady, The Legend, Her Legacy.” The 36-page interactive book in English and Spanish versions includes previously unreleased images, videos, recording session diaries and interviews with the star and multiple collaborators. The iBook is a complement to the recently released compilation titled Celia Cruz — The Absolute Collection, which includes the top hits from Cruz’s more than five-decade career.