Latest news with #HechoEsta
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mourners pay tribute to merengue icon Rubby Pérez, who died in the Dominican roof collapse
Fans and countrymen on Thursday shared their remembrances of Dominican Republic music icon Rubby Pérez, who was among the scores of people killed this week after the roof at the Jet Set club in Santo Domingo collapsed. He was 69. Know for songs such as 'Volveré,' 'El Africano' and 'Tu Vas a Volar," Pérez devoted his long career to merengue, the signature musical style of the Dominican Republic. It earned him the title, 'the highest voice in merengue,' despite it being his second career choice. Born on March 8, 1956, in Haina, Pérez aspired to be a baseball player, but those dreams came to an halt when his right leg was injured in a car accident. Pérez eventually found solace in the guitar and started his musical career in the 1970s. He made his debut as part of Los Pitagoras del Ritmo. In 1989, Pérez joined Wilfrido Vargas' orchestra, which gave him the opportunity to launch his solo career in 1987. In 2022, Pérez released his latest album, 'Hecho Esta.' His albums have gone gold and platinum in Venezuela and earned him the Orchestra and Merengue of the Year honors at the Soberano Awards, the Dominican music awards. Following news that Pérez was one of the victims of the collapse, Vargas released a statement saying you can never really say goodbye to an artist like Pérez whose 'legacy transcends time and space.' 'His voice, powerful and full of life will continue to resonate in every corner of our Dominican Republic and beyond,' Vargas said. 'Rubby was not just a singer; he was a symbol of courage, passion and artistic excellence.' Days before the collapse, was in New York City. At what would be his last performance in the U.S., he told fans he was exited to be traveling to Santo Domingo. A public funeral service was held for Pérez on Thursday in Santo Domingo's National Theater. 'He was a beloved man,' Martitza Martinez, 75, said in Spanish of Pérez, adding that she had attended three of his parties in the Dominican Republic, in part because her cousin was his car mechanic. 'Performing live, he was excellent.' Martinez joined other mourners Thursday outside the United Palace theatre where Pérez had once performed in Washington Heights, the center of the Dominican diaspora in New York City. Across from the palace, a poster of Pérez was taped to a tree, framed between Dominican flags above and candles below that bore the images of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. ___ Associated Press reporter Cedar Attanasio contributed.
The Independent
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Mourners pay tribute to merengue icon Rubby Pérez, who died in the Dominican roof collapse
Fans and countrymen on Thursday shared their remembrances of Dominican Republic music icon Rubby Pérez, who was among the scores of people killed this week after the roof at the Jet Set club in Santo Domingo collapsed. He was 69. Know for songs such as 'Volveré,' 'El Africano' and 'Tu Vas a Volar," Pérez devoted his long career to merengue, the signature musical style of the Dominican Republic. It earned him the title, 'the highest voice in merengue,' despite it being his second career choice. Born on March 8, 1956, in Haina, Pérez aspired to be a baseball player, but those dreams came to an halt when his right leg was injured in a car accident. Pérez eventually found solace in the guitar and started his musical career in the 1970s. He made his debut as part of Los Pitagoras del Ritmo. In 1989, Pérez joined Wilfrido Vargas' orchestra, which gave him the opportunity to launch his solo career in 1987. In 2022, Pérez released his latest album, 'Hecho Esta.' His albums have gone gold and platinum in Venezuela and earned him the Orchestra and Merengue of the Year honors at the Soberano Awards, the Dominican music awards. Following news that Pérez was one of the victims of the collapse, Vargas released a statement saying you can never really say goodbye to an artist like Pérez whose 'legacy transcends time and space.' 'His voice, powerful and full of life will continue to resonate in every corner of our Dominican Republic and beyond,' Vargas said. 'Rubby was not just a singer; he was a symbol of courage, passion and artistic excellence.' Days before the collapse, was in New York City. At what would be his last performance in the U.S., he told fans he was exited to be traveling to Santo Domingo. A public funeral service was held for Pérez on Thursday in Santo Domingo's National Theater. 'He was a beloved man,' Martitza Martinez, 75, said in Spanish of Pérez, adding that she had attended three of his parties in the Dominican Republic, in part because her cousin was his car mechanic. 'Performing live, he was excellent.' Martinez joined other mourners Thursday outside the United Palace theatre where Pérez had once performed in Washington Heights, the center of the Dominican diaspora in New York City. Across from the palace, a poster of Pérez was taped to a tree, framed between Dominican flags above and candles below that bore the images of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. ___ Associated Press reporter Cedar Attanasio contributed.
Associated Press
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Mourners pay tribute to merengue icon Rubby Pérez, who died in the Dominican roof collapse
Fans and countrymen on Thursday shared their remembrances of Dominican Republic music icon Rubby Pérez, who was among the scores of people killed this week after the roof at the Jet Set club in Santo Domingo collapsed. He was 69. Know for songs such as 'Volveré,' 'El Africano' and 'Tu Vas a Volar,' Pérez devoted his long career to merengue, the signature musical style of the Dominican Republic. It earned him the title, 'the highest voice in merengue,' despite it being his second career choice. Born on March 8, 1956, in Haina, Pérez aspired to be a baseball player, but those dreams came to an halt when his right leg was injured in a car accident. Pérez eventually found solace in the guitar and started his musical career in the 1970s. He made his debut as part of Los Pitagoras del Ritmo. In 1989, Pérez joined Wilfrido Vargas' orchestra, which gave him the opportunity to launch his solo career in 1987. In 2022, Pérez released his latest album, 'Hecho Esta.' His albums have gone gold and platinum in Venezuela and earned him the Orchestra and Merengue of the Year honors at the Soberano Awards, the Dominican music awards. Following news that Pérez was one of the victims of the collapse, Vargas released a statement saying you can never really say goodbye to an artist like Pérez whose 'legacy transcends time and space.' 'His voice, powerful and full of life will continue to resonate in every corner of our Dominican Republic and beyond,' Vargas said. 'Rubby was not just a singer; he was a symbol of courage, passion and artistic excellence.' Days before the collapse, was in New York City. At what would be his last performance in the U.S., he told fans he was exited to be traveling to Santo Domingo. A public funeral service was held for Pérez on Thursday in Santo Domingo's National Theater. 'He was a beloved man,' Martitza Martinez, 75, said in Spanish of Pérez, adding that she had attended three of his parties in the Dominican Republic, in part because her cousin was his car mechanic. 'Performing live, he was excellent.' Martinez joined other mourners Thursday outside the United Palace theatre where Pérez had once performed in Washington Heights, the center of the Dominican diaspora in New York City. Across from the palace, a poster of Pérez was taped to a tree, framed between Dominican flags above and candles below that bore the images of Jesus and the Virgin Mary.
New York Times
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
5 Songs by Rubby Pérez, the Merengue Singer Lost in the Roof Collapse
Rubby Pérez, the singer who was performing on Tuesday when the ceiling of the Jet Set nightclub collapsed in Santo Domingo, claiming at least 124 lives including his own, spent his long career devoted to merengue, the signature style of the Dominican Republic. Wilfrido Vargas, the band leader who gave Pérez his big break in the early 1980s, called him 'the best singer the genre has ever produced' upon learning of his bandmate's death. At the outset of their collaboration, Vargas dubbed the singer 'the loudest voice of merengue,' an appellation the vocalist wore proudly. An enthusiastic performer, Pérez brought high spirits even to ballads, but he specialized in rousing, spirited numbers where his clarion voice commanded attention over a dance band's bustling rhythms. Music was Pérez's second choice for a career. As a teenager, he harbored hopes of baseball stardom, dreams that came to an end when his right leg was fractured in an auto accident when he was 15. During his convalescence, he found solace in the guitar, which he called his 'new bat.' He started singing in a church choir and, by the end of the 1970s, he dedicated himself to music, studying at Santo Domingo's National Conservatory of Music. Initially drawn to bolero, he embraced the widespread popularity of merengue in the Dominican Republic (it has also gained a significant foothold in Venezuela). He made his professional debut as part of Los Pitagoras del Ritmo, sang in Los Juveniles de Bani, then replaced Fernando Villalona in Los Hijos del Rey, spending three years with the outfit before joining Vargas's orchestra in 1980. Vargas provided the launchpad for Pérez's career, giving him a pair of signature hits in 'El Africano' and 'Volveré,' which allowed him to embark on a solo career in 1987. His last album, 'Hecho Esta,' arrived in 2022, but he made his mark in the 1980s, when both he and merengue broke out of the Dominican Republic. Here are five of his signature songs. (Listen on Spotify or Apple Music.) Pérez made his recording debut as the lead singer in the band led by Vargas, and the single 'El Africano' from Vargas's 1983 album 'El Funcionario' was a Latin hit. It's a brassy merengue, with Pérez's high vocals punctuated by saxophones and a raucous trombone. The lyrics may strike modern listeners as offensive ('Mommy, what does the Black man want?' Pérez repeatedly sings, from the perspective of 'a little Black girl'). The backing vocals answer, between mock-African interjections, 'He wants some.' The track was later sampled by Pitbull for his 2007 single 'The Anthem.' One of his last recordings with Vargas, 'Volveré' became one of Pérez's signatures. A cover of a song first cut by the flamenco singer Chiquetete, 'Volveré' is transformed by Vargas into an infectious merengue number that captures Pérez's theatrical flair. The singer balked at the cover at first. 'I said I couldn't sing it in that key, and they told me it didn't matter; we should sing it backwards, doing the low notes first and then the high notes after I was warmed up,' he once said. 'We started from the back and, thank God, after all this time, I can sing that song in that key.' This backward construction gives 'Volveré' unstoppable momentum. Pérez's solo stardom was cemented by 'Buscando Tus Besos,' the lead single from his self-titled debut. A streamlined arrangement and bright production give the single a breezier feel than the hits the singer had with Vargas, a shift in tone that helped its accompanying album climb to No. 15 on Billboard's Tropical Albums chart in 1987. Riding the momentum of 'Buscando Tus Besos,' Pérez reached No. 29 on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart with 'Enamorado De Ella.' An unabashed love song, 'Enamorado De Ella' wears its romanticism in its execution, not its tempo. Pérez never pushes to the upper reaches of his range, instead choosing to sing with a tenderness that warms the song's lively horns and vibrant rhythms. Originally released on his 1999 album 'Vuelve El Merengue,' 'Tú Vas a Volar' became Pérez's highest-charting single in the United States, reaching No. 9 on Billboard's Tropical Airplay charts in 2001. Despite its crisp, uncluttered production, the single doesn't feel like a crossover concession. Instead, it shows how Pérez could adapt to shifting styles and fashion while retaining the robust vocal style that was his signature.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Famed Singer Dead at 69 Following Dominican Roof Collapse
Famed Dominican singer Rubby Pérez, who was performing at the Jet Set nightclub when its roof collapsed on Tuesday night, has died at 69. The tragic news was first reported by Rolling Stone and Listín Diario and later confirmed to People by Pérez's manager, Enrique Paulino.Pérez was a noted musician who began his career as the lead vocalist in Wilfrido Vargas' orchestra. After going solo, he released 13 albums including Buscando Tus Besos (1987) and, most recently, Hecho Esta (2022). He is best remembered for his tracks 'Volveré' (1996) and 'Enamorado de Ella' (2021), the latter of which topped at No. 29 on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart. Pérez released his final single, 'No Voy a Llorar,' on Valentine's Day of this people have been confirmed dead following Tuesday night's tragic accident, which occurred about one hour into Pérez's performance, according to the Dominican Republic National Police. A further 155 victims have been transferred to hospitals throughout the country. The roof collapse also claimed the lives of former MLB star Tony Blanco, who's the father of current Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Tony Blanco Jr.; as well as former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel. Pérez's saxophone player also reportedly died in the incident. No further details were released regarding their causes of death. 'Authorities reiterate that search, rescue, and medical care work continues uninterruptedly, under strict inter-agency coordination to provide support to victims and their families,' the national police said on Tuesday following the collapse. Rescue operations at the site are ongoing.
