Google Honors Salsa Icon Celia Cruz With Google Doodle On Her 88th Birthday

“La Reina de la Salsa," the Queen of Salsa, had 23 gold albums and a plethora of hit songs that brought salsa to the world stage.

By
Adrian Carrasquillo
by Adrian Carrasquillo

BuzzFeed News Reporter

Google honored salsa icon Celia Cruz on Monday with a doodle marking what would have been her 88th birthday.

Via google.com

The singer, who died on July 16, 2003, was so beloved that she was allowed to lie in state at Freedom Tower in Miami after her death where more than 200,000 people paid their respects.

People on Twitter were excited.

Elma Placeres Dieppa @mzelma

WEPA #GOOGLE! They're celebrating what would've been Celia Cruz's 88th birthday! #latism

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Elma Placeres Dieppa

@mzelma

WEPA #GOOGLE! They're celebrating what would've been Celia Cruz's 88th birthday! #latism

/ Via
Latino Rebels @latinorebels

Cool of @Google to feature #CeliaCruz as a #googledoodle today on her birthday.

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Latino Rebels

@latinorebels

Cool of @Google to feature #CeliaCruz as a #googledoodle today on her birthday.

/ Via
Jennifer Lubrani ✈ @meningioma

In honor of Celia Cruz's birthday today, both Google Doodle & I remember the Queen of Salsa. Wepa! #MusicMonday

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Jennifer Lubrani ✈

@meningioma

In honor of Celia Cruz's birthday today, both Google Doodle & I remember the Queen of Salsa. Wepa! #MusicMonday

/ Via
Rosy @SocialRosy

Shout out to Google for honoring Celia Cruz today! Azucar!

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Rosy

@SocialRosy

Shout out to Google for honoring Celia Cruz today! Azucar!

/ Via
Janil DeLeón @LiNAJ88

Google is representing right now for the Latinos. Having Celia Cruz on the homepage celebrating what would have been her 88th bday! #azucar

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Janil DeLeón

@LiNAJ88

Google is representing right now for the Latinos. Having Celia Cruz on the homepage celebrating what would have been her 88th bday! #azucar

/ Via
Alexander Silva @Silva_Alex94

So Celia Cruz is on the homepage of google and I just had perhaps the biggest Hispanic moment of the month.

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Alexander Silva

@Silva_Alex94

So Celia Cruz is on the homepage of google and I just had perhaps the biggest Hispanic moment of the month.

/ Via
Sophia M. Ramos @sophie_lovegood

The Google theme today is Celia Cruz and that makes me emotional.

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Sophia M. Ramos

@sophie_lovegood

The Google theme today is Celia Cruz and that makes me emotional.

/ Via

Needless to say, her career spanned decades. "Guantanamera" is a famous hit that has been sampled over and over again.

View this video on YouTube
youtube.com

She even helped spring breakers, break it down. Here she is performing her beloved song "La Vida Es Un Carnaval

View this video on YouTube
youtube.com

In an emotional tribute, salsa star Victor Manuelle sang the song at her funeral. Even the priest behind him couldn't stop a smile from creeping across his face as he swayed to the music.

View this video on YouTube
youtube.com

As for the doodle, she would have been a fan, says the executor of her estate.

Via foglobe.com

"There have been many posthumous tributes to Celia in these last ten years, but this one by Google is certainly one of the most important and far-reaching," Omer Pardillo-Cid, sole executor of the Celia Cruz Estate, said in a press release. "She would have loved it!"

Most everybody who sang her praises Monday invoked her famous phrase, "Azúcar!"

Via youtube.com

Azúcar, which means sugar, is what she would yell throughout her performances, as the crowd cheered and danced to her infectious energy.

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