Héctor Lavoe

Hector Lavoe (born Hector Juan Perez Martinez, September 30, 1946 in Ponce, Puerto Rico - d. June 29, 1993 in New York City) was an enormously talented Puerto Rican Salsa singer. La Voz, as he was referred to, began singing lead for Willie Colon's band at a very early age, achieving great success. Unfortunately he was developing an addiction to drugs at the same time.

Despite his personal struggles, he rose up during the 70's, the heyday of Salsa. He performed in sold out nightclubs, stadiums, and in some of the most prestigious concert halls. His recordings garnered him many awards and gold albums. His musical success is attributed to his extraordinary lyrical improvisations. His unique salsa flavor has remained without rival. Sadly, due to his losing battle with addiction to heroin, it played havoc with his career. There was a suicide attempt and ultimately he died from AIDS.

Recently, there has been some buzz about not one, but two biographical movies, both with the same title: "El Cantante" (The Singer), based on his life. One is the pet project of Jennifer Lopez, who produced the spanish titled film, she also plays the role of one of his wives, while Marc Anthony portrays the ill-fated lead role. The film is due for release in August. The english titled film is being produced by La India. It has Raul Carbonell in the lead role. It is also due for release this summer.