Salsa’s “singer of singers” Héctor Lavoe left behind a complicated bisexual legacy

The work of Puerto Rico-born musician Héctor Lavoe resonates through the annals of salsa music history. Known as “El Cantante de los Cantantes” (“The Singer of Singers”), Lavoe’s powerful voice and charismatic stage presence made him a beloved figure in the world of Latin music.

But beyond his musical prowess, Lavoe’s life was marked by his widely-known struggles with heroin. His whispered bisexuality has also remained largely unexplored, leaving behind a complex legacy.

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Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico in 1946, Lavoe’s journey to stardom began when he moved to New York City in the 1960s. There, he became a pivotal figure in the burgeoning urban salsa scene, combining elements of Cuban and Puerto Rican music with his rapid singing and confessional lyrics. Hector’s unique voice and emotional delivery allowed him to connect with listeners on a profound level. His lyrics often tackled important social issues like racism and poverty, which especially resonated with citizens of the Puerto Rican diaspora living in New York City.

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Over his nearly 20-year musical career, he became a key figure in popularizing salsa music internationally and contributing to its global appeal, bringing Puerto Rican-American identity and culture into broader recognition in the United States.

He gained such fandom that 40,000 people attended his August 23, 1974 performance with the Fania All-Stars, a famous salsa music group, at Yankee Stadium. It was one of the largest performances of Latin American artists in New York history.

Hector’s slick hair, printed suits, heavy gold chains, and trademark aviator sunglasses resonated with Nuyorican, New York-born Puerto Rican youth, who had previously seen salsa music as the music of older, island-born generations. The sped-up conga rhythms, rock guitars, and soul music-inspired bass grooves were well-received by listeners who grew up on Motown and the Beatles.

His collaborations with fellow salsa artists the Fania All-Stars and Willie Colon catapulted him to massive fame across Latin American culture. Lavoe’s songs, such as “Periódico de Ayer” (“Yesterday’s News”) and his signature ballad “El Cantante,” are still cherished by salsa enthusiasts worldwide. In fact, “El Cantante” has been covered by Latin Grammy Award winners Marc Anthony, Andrés Calamaro, and Rubén Blades as well as other Hispanic musicians like Alexa Weber Morales and Martina La Peligrosa.

Despite his fame, Lavoe’s bisexuality was a closely guarded secret for much of his life, partly due to the conservative attitudes prevalent at the time and within the Latin music community. Machismo, traditional Latin expectations of masculinity, often prizes heterosexual male promiscuity and misogynistic behavior as markers of idealized manhood.

Though Lavoe was married to Nilda “Puchi” Perez, a female Cuban-American activist, he was also known to have had sexual and romantic relationships with men. This is alluded to in the critically acclaimed 2006 biopic on his life, El Cantante.

In the film — which stars Latin crooner Marc Antony as Hector and Jennifer Lopez as his then-wife Puchi — Hector’s past same-sex dalliances are revealed in the midst of a profanity-laden argument. During this confrontation, Puchi hurls an anti-gay slur at Hector after finding him in a gay disco. Antony’s portrayal suggests that Lavoe feels resistance to his sexual orientation and that his self-denials contribute to his substance abuse. 

His death from AIDS in 1993, widely thought to have been caused by an infected hypodermic needle, acted for some as tragic confirmation of his sexual relationships with men. Regardless, he and other intravenous drug users, like gay and bisexual men, were disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Tragedy also marred the years preceding his death: His son was accidentally killed in 1987, and Lavoe attempted suicide in 1988. The attempt left him in chronic pain for the rest of his life. By his last public performance in 1990, he reportedly could barely sing.

Lavoe’s songs dealt with themes of life, love, and heartbreak. While his lyrics don’t explicitly reference his bisexuality, his songs of romance rarely mention the gender of his lover. In his signature ballad “El Cantante,” Hector heartbreakingly sings that his perceived status as a proverbial “ladies man” masks unmentioned desires and pain. Translated into English, the Spanish-language singer said, “They always stop me in the street and many people say they see me at parties with women. Nobody asks if I suffer, if I cry, and if I have a pity that hurts very deep.” 

Hector Lavoe’s music continues to inspire generations of artists and fans alike. He has been cited as an influence by the gender-bending, arena-packing Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, whose sexual orientation has also been the subject of intense speculation.

In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of acknowledging Lavoe’s bisexuality as an integral part of his identity. Oral histories of his sexuality circulate among those most familiar with his legacy, but oral histories have often been ignored or seen as less valid by historians of queer history. In fact, the histories of queer people of color have been consistently marginalized as a matter of not yet having been written down.

To write a bisexual history for someone like Héctor Lavoe means honoring the whispers of the artist’s life, since those whispers may be all that have endured. Despite existing throughout history, bisexuality has been erased and too often ignored by the larger queer community. Recognizing Lavoe’s identity as a bisexual man seeks to account for his complete story and to acknowledge that he is one of many queer icons who wasn’t given the opportunity to live an uncloseted queer life while being mutually recognized for his talent during his own lifetime.

Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. The Trans Lifeline (1-877-565-8860) is staffed by trans people and will not contact law enforcement. The Trevor Project provides a safe, judgement-free place to talk for youth via chat, text (678-678), or phone (1-866-488-7386). Help is available at all three resources in English and Spanish.