Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman.
94 Facts About Gloria Estefan
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Gloria Estefan is credited with breaking down barriers and opening doors for Latin musicians, including Selena, Jon Secada, Shakira and Ricky Martin.
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In March 1990, Gloria Estefan sustained a life-threatening cervical vertebrae fracture when her tour bus was involved in a serious accident near Scranton, Pennsylvania.
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Gloria Estefan underwent an emergency surgical stabilization of her cervical spine and post-surgical rehabilitation that lasted almost a year, but made a full recovery.
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Gloria Estefan won an MTV Video Music Award, was honored with the American Music Award for Lifetime Achievement, and has been named BMI Songwriter of the Year.
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Gloria Estefan was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and has received multiple Billboard awards.
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Richard Blanco, the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Poet, told The Boston Globe in 2020 that Gloria Estefan is among the Latin singers who helped him gain ground "in the musical poetry of my culture and rejuvenate my spirits".
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Gloria Estefan was born Gloria Maria Milagrosa Fajardo Garcia in Havana, Cuba on 1 September 1957 to parents Jose Fajardo and Gloria Garcia.
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Estefan's mother Gloria Fajardo won an international contest during her childhood and received a Hollywood offer to dub Shirley Temple's films in Spanish.
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Gloria Estefan was captured by his cousin, who was a member of Fidel Castro's army, and imprisoned in Cuba for nearly two years.
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Gloria Estefan alleged that the man told her that he would kill her mother if she told anyone about the abuse.
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Gloria Estefan told her mother who alerted the police of the allegation; charges were not pressed because of the additional trauma she felt Gloria Estefan would undergo as a result of testifying against the perpetrator.
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When Gloria Estefan was 16, her father's illness led him to be hospitalized at a Veterans Administration medical facility.
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Gloria Estefan was raised Catholic and attended Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Miami, where she was a member of the National Honor Society.
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Gloria Estefan, who was attending the University of Miami at the time, only agreed to perform during the weekends so that her studies would not be interrupted.
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In 1989, the group's name was dropped, and Gloria Estefan has been credited as a solo artist ever since.
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In late 1989, Gloria Estefan released her best-selling album to date, Cuts Both Ways.
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Gloria Estefan was returning from a meeting with President George Bush to discuss participation in an anti-drug campaign.
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Gloria Estefan was taken to Community Medical Center's Intensive Care Unit in Scranton and flown by helicopter the following day to the Hospital for Joint Diseases at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, where she underwent surgery that included implanting two titanium rods to stabilize her vertebral column.
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In January 1991, Gloria Estefan released the concept album Into the Light.
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On 26 January 1992, Gloria Estefan performed in the Super Bowl XXVI halftime show.
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That same year, Gloria Estefan sang backup vocals on fellow Cuban-American singer-songwriter Jon Secada's breakthrough single "Just Another Day" and received songwriting credit for the Spanish-language version Otro Dia Mas Sin Verte.
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In June 1993, Gloria Estefan released her first Spanish-language album Mi Tierra.
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In September 1993, Gloria Estefan released her first Christmas album, Christmas Through Your Eyes.
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Gloria Estefan released Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me in October 1994, a cover album featuring some of her favorite songs from the 1960s and 1970s.
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In 1995, Gloria Estefan released her second Spanish-language album, Abriendo Puertas.
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In 1996, Gloria Estefan released her platinum-selling album Destiny, which featured "Reach".
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Gloria Estefan performed "Reach" and "You'll Be Mine" at the Summer Olympics closing ceremony.
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Gloria Estefan released a Latin hit with the Brazilian group So Pra Contrariar called "Santo Santo", which she sang with Luciano Pavarotti in Pavarotti and Friends for Guatemala and Kosovo.
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Gloria Estefan performed Selena's hit song "I Could Fall in Love".
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Also that year, Gloria Estefan sang "Young Hearts Run Free" on the soundtrack for the television series Desperate Housewives.
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In October 2006, Sony released the compilation The Essential Gloria Estefan, featuring her hits from 1984 to 2003, Estefan made several radio and television appearances to promote The Essential Gloria Estefan.
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Gloria Estefan released two additional similar compilation albums that year for other markets.
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The Very Best of Gloria Estefan was released in Europe and Mexico; this compilation was certified Gold in Ireland.
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Gloria Estefan released the Spanish album 90 Millas on 18 September 2007.
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In 2008, Gloria Estefan appeared during the seventh season of American Idol for the special charity episode "Idol Gives Back".
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Gloria Estefan performed her song "Get on Your Feet" along with Sheila E The song was released at the American iTunes Store, and the video of the performance reached No 20 of the store's Top 100 videos.
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Gloria Estefan became the headliner of the MGM Grand at Foxwoods Resort Casino's new venue.
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Gloria Estefan then headed to Canada to perform at the Casino Rama.
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Gloria Estefan performed several concerts in Spain, specifically Madrid, Barcelona, Zaragoza and Tenerife.
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Back in the States, Gloria Estefan performed a special concert at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino to raise funds for the Education of South Florida.
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Gloria Estefan was a headliner for Bette Midler's "Annual Hulaween Gala" along with other special guests such as Kathy Griffin and a costume contest judged by Michael Kors.
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In 2009, Gloria Estefan announced plans for her "farewell tour" of Latin America and South America.
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Sony UK re-released several of Gloria Estefan's hit albums into mini LP CDs with the titles Anything for You, Cuts Both Ways and Into the Light.
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Gloria Estefan began 2010 with a charity single: she and her husband, producer Emilio Gloria Estefan, Jr.
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The song, written by Gloria Estefan and approved by Quincy Jones, was recorded and premiered during El Show de Cristina on 1 March 2010.
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On 24 March 2010, Gloria Estefan led a march down Miami's Calle Ocho in support of Cuba's Las Damas de Blanco.
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Later that year, Gloria Estefan took part in Broadway's "24 Hour Plays" in which actors, writers, and directors collaborate to produce and perform six one-act plays within 24 hours to benefit the Urban Arts Partnership.
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Gloria Estefan performed alongside actors Elijah Wood, Diane Neal, and Alicia Witt in the play I Think You'll Love This One, written by the 20-year-old winner of the Montblanc writers' project, Elizabeth Cruz Cortes.
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On 7 April 2011, Gloria Estefan made an unannounced appearance at the auditions for The X Factor in Miami, and gave encouragement to the 7,500 participants gathered outside the Bank United Center for auditions.
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In 2011, Gloria Estefan was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame along with Grammy and Emmy award winner Harry Connick Jr.
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Gloria Estefan's dance-oriented album Miss Little Havana was released in the US on 27 September 2011, with the physical CD available exclusively at Target.
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In November 2011, Estefan began hosting Gloria Estefan's Latin Beat, a seven-part series for BBC Radio 2 in the United Kingdom that explores the history of Latin music.
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Gloria Estefan started a reality show called The Next: Fame Is at Your Doorstep opposite Joe Jonas, Nelly and John Rich on the CW Network, where she and the other three mentors searched for the next big Atlantic Records recording artist.
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Gloria Estefan joined Carlos Santana on his new album Corazon in a song called "Besos de lejos".
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Gloria Estefan released Soy Mujer, on Sony Latin on 23 June 2015.
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Gloria Estefan announced she was working on re-recording her music catalog with Brazilian rhythms and four new songs on an album titled Brazil305.
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Gloria Estefan released the first single for the album, "Cuando Hay Amor", on 12 June 2020.
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In May 2020, Gloria Estefan wrote and released "We Needed Time" as a musical piece to reflect the feelings and emotions the world was experiencing around the COVID-19 global pandemic.
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The genesis of the song came from a late night conversation Gloria Estefan had with her son Nayib who exclaimed to her that although he wouldn't have asked for a pandemic, it had gifted him with precious time to spend with his wife and son.
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Gloria Estefan has appeared in two live-action films, Music of the Heart and For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story.
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Gloria Estefan starred in a made-for-TV movie on HBO in the remake of "Father of the Bride" with Andy Garcia.
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Gloria Estefan, according to Francis, refused to consider him and the project collaboration thus ended.
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Gloria Estefan appeared in the ABC television special Elmopalooza, in which she sang the song "Mambo, I, I, I".
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Gloria Estefan appeared as a mentor for the CW Network reality series The Next: Fame Is at Your Doorstep.
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Gloria Estefan played Mirtha, the baby sister and nemesis of Lydia Margarita del Carmen Inclan Maribona Leyte-Vidal de Riera, in the first episode of season 3 of the Netflix series One Day at a Time.
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Gloria Estefan voiced the character of Marta Sandoval, a legendary singer on the verge of retirement, in the animated film Vivo.
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Gloria Estefan has written two children's books, The Magically Mysterious Adventures of Noelle the Bulldog and Noelle's Treasure Tale.
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Gloria Estefan collaborated on a cookbook with her husband entitled Estefan Kitchen, which was published in 2008.
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Gloria and Emilio Estefan have owned several business establishments, including several Cuban-themed restaurants.
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Gloria Estefan was appointed to the board of directors for Univision Communications Inc in 2007.
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Gloria Estefan spoke at TEDx Via della Conciliazione on 19 April 2013, on the theme "Religious freedom today".
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In December 2022, Gloria Estefan was a guest narrator at Disney's Candlelight Processional at Epcot, Walt Disney World.
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Gloria Estefan became romantically involved with the Miami Sound Machine's band leader, Emilio Gloria Estefan, in 1976.
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Gloria Estefan later revealed, "he was my first and only boyfriend".
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Gloria Estefan's daughter, Emily, is a recording artist and her son, Nayib, is an aspiring filmmaker and owner of the Nite Owl Theater in Miami.
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Gloria Estefan has won the Hispanic Heritage Award, an MTV Video Music Award, and the 1993 National Music Foundation's Humanitarian of the Year award.
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Gloria Estefan is the recipient of the American Music Award for Lifetime Achievement.
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Gloria Estefan has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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Gloria Estefan was awarded an honorary doctoral degree in music from the University of Miami in 1993.
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Gloria Estefan was a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Miami.
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Gloria Estefan delivered the commencement address to the 2007 graduating class.
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Gloria Estefan founded the Gloria Estefan Foundation, which promotes education, health and cultural development.
84.
Gloria Estefan has been honored twice by the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
85.
Gloria Estefan received the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year award at the Latin Grammy Awards in November 2008 in recognition of her twenty-five-year singing career.
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Gloria Estefan is the first female singer to receive this award.
87.
Gloria Estefan received the Latin Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Album for 90 Millas, and the Latin Grammy Award for Best Tropical Song for her single "Pintame De Colores".
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On 12 March 2009, Gloria Estefan was honored as a BMI Icon at the 16th annual BMI Latin Awards.
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Gloria Estefan's catalog includes 22 BMI Latin and Pop Awards, along with 11 BMI Million-Air Awards.
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On 28 April 2011, at the Latin Billboard Awards, Gloria Estefan was honored with the Billboard Spirit of Hope Award for her philanthropic work for the second time, the first being in 1996.
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In 2017, Gloria Estefan was made an honorary member of Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity, a music Greek organization for women with over 115 years of supporting music in their universities, organization and the world.
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Gloria Estefan was initiated at the Sigma Chi Chapter at University of Miami.
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In 2018, Gloria Estefan became the first Cuban-American to be named as one of the Kennedy Center Honors.
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In 2023, Gloria Estefan was nominated for induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, becoming the first Hispanic to do so.