Tito Puente is the latest celebrity to be honored through Google Doodle.
In celebration of U.S. Hispanic Heritage Month which ends on Saturday the legacy and life of American “Nuyorican” musician, and internationally recognized entertainer, are commemorated by an animated video being displayed on the Google’s homepage.
Tito Puente performing in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, in 1990. The star’s life is honored through an Google Doodle.
Puente’s Doodle is drawn by New York-based Puerto Rican artist Carlos Aponte.
The artist said about paying tribute in honor of Puente: “Tito was part of my musical journey as a child on the island of Puerto Rico. My aunt introduced me to Tito Puente through La Lupe, a famous singer from Puerto Rico and New York.
“Tito was like a Svengali for talents like Celia Cruz. He was a household name. So Tito was part of my Puerto Rican soundtrack.”
Who Was Tito Puente?
Tito Puente was a Latin musician and songwriter. He also played the role of producer, and bandleader. His birth name was Ernest Antonio Puente Jr. on 20th April 1923.
Puente was raised living in Spanish Harlem in New York City with his Puerto Rican parents, and his Latin background had a significant influence on his career.
After he led his very first band in the late 1940s Puente was renowned for his dance-based mambo , and Latin Jazz compositions. His most well-known song can be described as “Oye Como Va,” which gained in popularity when it was re-released by the rock group Santana in the year 1970.
Puente was a star in his fifty-year career that saw Puente was awarded 6 Grammy Awards and was nominated for 12 Grammy Awards. He was given the keys into New York City in 1969.
The couple was together for a while. Margaret Asencio from 1963 until his passing . They had two children together: Audrey Puente and Tito Puente Jr.
This Google Doodle that celebrates Puente is an animated film which shows Puente’s home from his childhood at 110th Street, and Third Avenue in Spanish Harlem. Following his death, 110th Street was renamed Tito Puente Way.
In the Doodle video, we watch an aspiring musician in his early years playing with saucepans and stoves inside his room before the video follows Puente’s path to become”the “King of the Timbales.”
This Google Doodle has been released on the anniversary of the opening of Tito Puente Monument that was inaugurated within his home town located in East Harlem, New York on the 10th of October 2021.
How Did Tito Puente Die?
Tito Puente died on June 1st, 2000 on the 1st of June, 2000 at New York University Hospital. He was 77 years old.
A representative for the musician stated that the musician had undergone operation in the morning morning of June 1 before slipping into a coma and passed away the following night.
The Los Angeles Times said following the death of Puente that his hospitalization was for heart problems one month prior to his death during a tour of Puerto Rico.
