The diva of Cuban popular music Neris Amelia Martínez Salazar, better known by her stage name Juana Bacallao, or Juana the Cuban, died in Havana, at the age of 98, after a long hospitalization.
This was reported by the Cuban agency Prensalatina.
The artist was born in Havana in May 1925, and left orphaned at the age of 6 she was discovered by the musician and composer Obdulio Morales, who promoted her debut at the Teatro Martí in Havana, with the interpretation of the guaracha 'Yo soy JuanaBacallao ', from which she derived her stage name, quickly establishing herself as the diva of Cuban cabaret.
In her interpretations, Bacallao combined comical and tragic songs, accompanying them with marked gestures and extravagant costumes.
Unique in her style, and considered a legend of Cuban culture, she marked a milestone in the history of cabaret, starting from the 1950s until a few years ago.
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