[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 107 (Friday, July 18, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1537-E1538]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       ON THE DEATH OF CELIA CRUZ

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROBERT MENENDEZ

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 18, 2003

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, today, I mourn the death of my great 
friend, the music icon, Celia Cruz, who lost her courageous battle with 
cancer yesterday afternoon.
  In fact, today, the entire world mourns.
  After 50 years of her presence, influence and music, her loss is 
shocking to all of us, her dedicated fans.
  Celia Cruz, whose music crossed ethnic, racial and cultural lines and 
earned her five Grammy's and two Latin Grammy's, was a true 
trailblazer. Her music was a unifying force, and her passion for a free 
Cuba was evidenced in both her music and her words.
  Her commitment to a free Cuba went so far that, during a performance 
at the Summit of the Americas, she worked the following unforgettable 
lines into one of her songs: `Mr. President, please make sure that my 
homeland Cuba is free once more.' Poignant and heartbreaking words that 
describe her love for Cuba, her commitment to a free and democratic 
Cuba, and her affection for her adopted homeland, the United States.
  Celia Cruz mesmerized audiences for five decades with her exceptional 
singing talent and her wonderful charisma. She has been one of the 
single greatest influences on salsa music, recording more than 70 
albums, and receiving more than 100 awards.
  She was honored with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, and with 
streets named after her in New York, Mexico, Costa Rica and Miami, on 
the famous Calle Ocho. Celia has received honorary degrees from Yale, 
Florida International University, the University of Miami, and received 
the National Medal of Arts, the highest honor bestowed on an artist by 
the United States.
  Celia Cruz was born and raised in the Santa Suarez neighborhood of 
Havana, Cuba. As a young girl, she spent much of her spare time 
entertaining her peers, friends, and neighbors by singing lullabies and 
melodies. In the 1940's, she officially began her musical career by 
singing on numerous Cuban radio programs. After studying at Havana's 
Conservatory of Music from 1947 to 1950, she joined

[[Page E1538]]

the legendary group La Sonora Matancera, and after several successful 
recordings, the group's music was in demand beyond the borders of Cuba.
  When Celia left Cuba for the United States in 1960, her career 
blossomed and she became a household name. During her first decade in 
the United States, she recorded several albums with the great Tito 
Fuente, and together, they captured the hearts of nontraditional fans 
of salsa, a phenomenon known as `the Salsa of the 70s.' Celia has also 
collaborated with other great Latin artists, including Johnny Pacheco, 
Willy Colon, and la Fania All Stars, as well as great American artists, 
such as Dionne (DEE-ON) Warwick, Patti Labelle, David Byrne, Gloria 
Estefan, and Wyclef Jean.
  Celia Cruz's boundless energy transfixed generations of salsa fans 
and musicians. The powerful presence of music in her life could not 
have been expressed any better than in her own words: in an interview, 
she once said that she was `born with the music inside of her.' And, by 
God, she expressed the music `inside of her' until the very last day of 
her battle with cancer.
  I was introduced to Celia Cruz's music at an early age, and enjoy her 
work and dance to her music now, more than ever. As the former Mayor of 
Union City, New Jersey, I was honored to recognize her achievements and 
contributions during an awards ceremony almost two decades ago.

  On that day, and until her death, Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa, the 
music icon, the star, remained down-to-earth, people-oriented, and was 
loved by everyone for her music, her passion and her style. She was one 
of the few bridges that crossed cultural and racial divides.
  Celia Cruz's death has left a void in the lives of so many, but her 
music and words live on, as she leaves behind a legacy on so many 
levels. I will never forget the famous lines from a recent song, 'La 
Vida es un Carnaval--No hay que Ilorar,' which means, life is a 
carnival, you don't have to cry. So simple and so true.
  And just like Celia would end her songs with the impulsive and unique 
AZUCAR! or sugar, I end tonight by saying our memories of you, Ceilia, 
are as sweet as sugar. You will never be forgotten, and you will always 
be missed.

                          ____________________