Puchi lavoe biography

Lovely news: “El Cantante” is not a vanity project.

Indeed, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony – two powerhouse entertainers – deliver professionally earnest, at times truly gritty, performances in their portrayal of salsa creator Héctor Lavoe and his wife, Puchi.

With documentary-style flourishes, director Leon Ichaso’s biopic begins in black-and- white as Puchi defiantly walks into a room for an interview about her deceased husband.

Lavoe died in 1993 of AIDS complications at the age of 46.

At times prickly, at times nostalgic, Puchi declares that 1984 was the “end of the good times.” But as “El Cantante” shows, even the best decades were often tinged with sorrow. Underscoring this fact, the film’s vibrant color returns to mournful black-and-

white again and again.

In the production notes, Anthony tells a story about the one time he met Lavoe. He arrived at the legend’s apartment in the company of Lavoe’s nephew, Little Louie Vega. Lavoe gave the barest of acknowledgments. Anthony proceeded to sit on a couch and watch TV with the king of a musical style that stirred jazz, rock and other musical influences into a tasty stew of Afro-Caribbean beats.

At one point, Lavoe looked sideways at the young Anthony. “My God, that is the ugliest woman I’ve ever seen,” he said.

There is something worn and feminine about Anthony’s depiction of shy Héctor Perez, who traveled from Ponce, Puerto Rico, to New York City in 1963.

The singer was rechristened Lavoe when he and trombone maestro Willie Colon became part of the Fania record company family. Ruben Blades renamed him again when he gave Lavoe the song that became his signature: “El Cantante” – the Singer.

Lavoe’s estrangement from his father gets hurried treatment. Héctor makes the trek to the mainland against his dad’s wishes. He’s a young man headed towar

Puerto Rican salsa singer (1946–1993)

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Pérez and the second or maternal family name is Martínez.

Musical artist

Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez (September 30, 1946 – June 29, 1993), better known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Ricansalsa singer. Lavoe is considered to be possibly the best and most important singer and interpreter in the history of salsa music because he helped to establish the popularity of this musical genre in the decades of 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. His personality, style and the qualities of his voice led him to a successful artistic career in the whole field of Latin music and salsa during the 1970s and 1980s. The cleanness and brightness of his voice, coupled with impeccable diction and the ability to sing long and fast phrases with total naturalness, made him one of the favorite singers of the Latin public.

Lavoe was born and raised in the Machuelo Abajobarrio of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Early in his life, he attended Escuela Libre de Música de Ponce, known today as the Instituto de Música Juan Morel Campos and, inspired by Jesús Sánchez Erazo, developed an interest in music. He moved to New York City on May 3, 1963, at the age of sixteen. Shortly after his arrival, he worked as the singer in a sextet formed by Roberto García. During this period, he performed with several other groups, including Orquesta New York, Kako All-Stars, and Johnny Pacheco's band.

In 1967, Lavoe joined Willie Colón's band as its vocalist, recording several hit songs, including "El Malo" and "Canto a Borinquen." Lavoe moved on to become a soloist and formed his own band performing as lead vocalist. As a soloist, Lavoe recorded several hits including: "El cantante" composed by Rubén Blades, "Bandolera" composed by Colón, and "Periódico de ayer", composed by Ti

Nilda ‘Puchi’ Lavoe was 52 years old when she fell out of a window in her apartment in 2002. Little is know about her life outside of her marriage to famous salsa singer Hector Lavoe, but we’ll explore what little we do know, including the details of her untimely death.

Marriage to Hector Lavoe

Hector and Nilda got married after becoming pregnant with a child. It was Hector’s second child, and reportedly, Nilda called him on the night of his first child’s baptism to tell him of her pregnancy. The two were married shortly after and stayed married through the end of Hector Lavoe’s life. The couple suffered many tragedies in that time, and both dealt with drug addiction.

Over the course of their marriage, Hector and Puchi’s son was killed in a gun-related accident and the couple’s first home was destroyed by a fire. Both had to jump out of a window to escape the flames, each of them suffering a broken leg as a result. Around the same time, Nilda’s mother was stabbed to death in Puerto Rico. In 1988 Hector attempted suicide after being diagnosed with AIDS, jumping from a 9th story window. He eventually passed away from AIDS in 1993. Nilda continued to live in New York until her death.

“El Cantante”

After the death of her husband, Nilda Lavoe worked to bring his story to a wider audience. It was Nilda who approached Jennifer Lopez’s production company with a screenplay, insisting that they tell her husband’s story, and that J-Lo play her in the film. Actress Jennifer Lopez had been working with Nilda on getting her story for the film through recorded interviews, and many of these recordings ended up in the final cut of “El Cantante.”

“El Cantante” depicted Hector Lavoe’s story as one of the most well-known singers in the salsa community through the eyes of his wife. Their relationship was featured extensively

Salsa fans might be eager to finally see the hyped Héctor Lavoe biopic “El Cantante” — starring Marc Anthony and Jennifer López.

But those who lived closer to the troubled Puerto Rican salsa superstar won’t be rushing to theaters when the film opens nationwide Aug. 3.

“I’ve heard that they show ugly scenes like they are making love in a car and shooting up drugs,” said Carmen Ramírez, Lavoe’s one-time girlfriend and mother of his only surviving son, Juan Pérez.

“I’ve never seen that part of Héctor. I’ve only seen him a little drunk once in a while,” she added. “He wouldn’t let me see it, and thank God that I had that respect.”

Ramírez, who spoke to Viva from her home in Tampa, Fla., said she has no plans to see the movie, but welcomes the spotlight it shines on Lavoe and his legacy.

Lavoe’s older sister, Luisa Pérez, said she is “proud” of her brother’s accomplishments, but she will not see director León Ichaso’s fi lm, either.

“When they did [the play] ‘Quién mató a Héctor Lavoe’ (Who Killed Héctor Lavoe) a neighbor saw it and she told me that it had a lot of sad things, and I said, ‘I am not seeing any of this.’ Because it’s so depressing,” said Pérez from Ramírez’s house, where she was visiting from Puerto Rico.

The New York premiere of “El Cantante” will take place tomorrow at the AMC Empire 25 Theaters on W. 42nd St. The film will also close this week’s New York International Latino Film Festival on Sunday, leading to the national release the following weekend.

The movie’s soundtrack, with Anthony’s vibrant renditions of Lavoe’s classics such as “Mi Gente” and “Che Che Colé,” started selling yesterday.

The film follows the