29 Gorgeous Celia Cruz Photos To Remember The 'Queen Of Salsa'

Her elegance and smile were one of a kind.

Celia Cruz was an icon.

It’s been more than a decade since the Cuban singer died but the joy she radiated with a simple smile or her emblematic “¡Azucar!” may never fade ― at least not as long as her hit song “La Vida Es Un Carnaval” continues to be a joie de vivre anthem across Latin America and beyond.

“When people hear me sing,” she told The New York Times. “I want them to be happy, happy, happy. I don’t want them thinking about when there’s not any money, or when there’s fighting at home. My message is always felicidad ― happiness.”

Cruz was known for her charisma, booming voice, her tumbao and her perseverance in the face of adversity. In honor of her birthday, we’ve compiled several gorgeous photos that span the Queen of Salsa’s career since the 1950s.

Scroll below for 29 stunning photos of the legend:

Early 1950s
Mezcalent
1950s
Tom Copi via Getty Images
1950s
Tom Copi via Getty Images
1950s
Tom Copi via Getty Images
1960s
GAB Archive via Getty Images
1970s
Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
1970s
Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
1981
Estate Of Keith Morris via Getty Images
1984
Frans Schellekens via Getty Images
1986
Michael Putland via Getty Images
1986
ullstein bild via Getty Images
1987
Frans Schellekens via Getty Images
1992
NBC via Getty Images
1992
Jack Vartoogian/Getty Images via Getty Images
1993
Ron Galella via Getty Images
1994
Jack Vartoogian/Getty Images via Getty Images
1995
David Corio via Getty Images
1996
Glenn Koenig via Getty Images
1997
James Crump via Getty Images
1999
Mezcalent
1999
Frans Schellekens via Getty Images
2001
Frank Micelotta Archive via Getty Images
2001
KMazur via Getty Images
2001
Lionel FLUSIN via Getty Images
2001
Kevin Winter via Getty Images
2002
Michael Caulfield Archive via Getty Images
2002
L. Cohen via Getty Images
2002
STEWART COOK via Getty Images
2003
L. Busacca via Getty Images

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