And the Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz, died yesterday at the age of 77. The Cuban-born singer recorded over 70 albums over the past 50 years ranging the full spectrum of Afro-Cuban music from mambo to cha-cha to salsa.

Celia Cruz was by far the biggest female Latin act of the last half century.

She once said, “Women are afraid to sing salsa. I don’t know why. Maybe they think it’s for men. But I think everybody can sing everything.”

Over the years she received 12 Grammy nominations. In 1994, President Clinton gave her the National Medal of Arts.

Ruben Blades said “She became a symbol of quality and strength, and she became a symbol of Afro-Cuban music. You couldn’t be a fan of Celia and not be a fan of Afro-Cuban music, because she was Afro-Cuban music.”