Grandma called to speak to Mom but Mom was busy cooking so Grandma said, “Dile que Celia Cruz ¡murió!”
¿Que? ¿Como va ser? ¿Celia Cruz?
Sí. ¡Dile!
¿Pero, Grandma, are you sure? ¿Celia Cruz?
¿Tu conoces a Celia Cruz?
¡Seguro que sí, Grandma!
Grandma told me. I told Mom. Then we both started calling other family members to make sure they knew. It was as if someone from our own family had passed and surely enough everyone knew already even la comai up in Michigan where Latino news is sparse. “¡Eh! Si Susana me llamó en el celular. Y cuando llegué a casa tenia un montón de mensajes tambien.”
| NEWS FRENZY |
Everyone knew. People were lighting candles, and saying quiet prayers to themselves to rest her soul.
The radio station, LatinoMix FM stopped their scheduled program immediately when it got news and dedicated 24 hours to Celia Cruz: “Ella nos brindió su vida. Lo menos que pudieramos hacer es brindarle 24 horas.”
The TV station, Telemundo, disrupted their programming and replayed around 8pm the Tribute Concert to Celia, which was made shortly before she died. Watching the show this time around you can really see how sick she was. All I could think of was: Why did they make her get up and sing? and why was it so long?- she should have been resting. There was one shot that Pedro Knight looked so, so, so, very, very sad, as if he knew she was not going to be around for too much longer. You can see the love he had for her. For those that have not seen the show, he sings a few lines to her of the romantic ballad, Quizás, Quizás, Quizás. There he was proclaiming his love for his negrita after 42 years of marriage. Can I get another box of Kleenex, please?
Latino people all over the city were silent- reflective at the very least. Some were in tears. The whole community was in mourning for the passing of our queen- the Queen of Salsa, La Guarachera de Cuba.
Soon began the news frenzy-
visiting record shops to see what was going on there:
"People are buying up all her cd’s – anything of Celia.
The shop owners are busy looking for all they have
because the people want to own all they can of
Celia Cruz..."
And in front of her home in Fort Lee, New Jersey,
the reporters would show the flowers and candles that people had laid down
as a quick makeshift memorial for Celia Cruz.
And on the streets in the Latino neighborhoods
trying to see how people were reacting.
Some were caught on camera crying.
Some recalled the good times and found solace
in the fact that she had lived a full life.
Some rejoiced because she had not died, because she will live forever...
That was the sentiment around town.
What started then was the preparations of the funeral services.
They are taking her to Miami then to New York
to the funeral home then to the cemetery.
No, no- There is going to be a special mass.
No- all churches are having a special mass.
No- there will be a special mass at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral,
then a private burial at the cemetery.
No- a public burial.
Then it was just- a burial.
There were also conflicting reports on her age.
Was she born in 1925 or 1915?
It can't be 1915- no way! So the media stayed with 1925.
But ask any 80-year-old and they will tell you that
Celia Cruz was well into her eighties.
I guess now we will never really know.
Celia always kept it a secret. She said:
"Yo nací en mil novecientos ... NADA!” ¡y se reía!
This whole “frenzy”, for lack of a better word, merited even more coverage, so the news on the Latino stations announced full coverage of all the events and announced the time schedule of the TV coverage of the Miami viewing of the body: from 8am till it’s over. Yes! Regular TV programming stopped.
Reporters were on location in Miami covering the sentiment of the people there. The coverage cut back and forth to clips of Celia Cruz and clips of her family in Cuba, showing her home and the streets where she grew up. Her room was still the same as she had left it when she left Cuba slightly over 40 years ago.
Her wish was always to return to Cuba but that if she couldn’t she wanted to be in Miami to be among her Cuban people, specifically to la Torre de la Libertad where Cubans first arrived in the 1960's. Cuban-Americans felt a double pang in their hearts- their guarachera is gone and their Cuba is still not free.
And there was the ongoing romantic story of how she was married for 42 years to Cuban composer, Pedro Knight who later became her manager. How they met- they had 2 years of noviazgo. How during those times, she always had to be accompanied by a chaperone. How el es su cabecita de algodón. How he makes her coffee every morning and how she always made him dinner no matter what time of night he came home from a late gig. And ¿el secreto de el matrimonio? She said, over- pronouncing as she is known to do: la co-mu-ni-ca-ción. Las parejas no deben guardarse nada.
And these stories were on the radio as well as TV. The radio had to cover 24 hours so the stories came rolling in... next caller!
Everyone said the same thing. Celia Cruz was the sweetest, kindest person who never denied someone an autograph or a picture. She always remembered birthdays, anniversaries and always sent people cards on all special occasions, never missing a beat. She was very humble, living a simple life.
Callers would remember traveling to other countries- in Europe, Africa and beyond and hearing Celia Cruz's music. They felt very proud to be Latino when they heard her music in far away lands.
Some callers would call in tearful and they would be reminded of the mantra:
¡Ay! ¡No hay que llorar- la vida es un carnaval!
Next page --- >Celia’s Life
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