íngela ílvarez (1927–2024), singer who won a Latin Grammy at 95

íngela ílvarez was a Cuban singer and songwriter who won a Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2022, when she was 95 years old.

• Died:feDecember 6, 2024 (Who else died on December 6?)c2

• Details of death:feDied in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at the age of 97.c2

• We invite you to share condolencesfefor íngela ílvarez in ourfeGuest Book.c2

íngela ílvareze28099s legacy

As ílvarez grew up in pre-revolution Cuba, music was an integral part of her life. She learned to play the piano at a young age, and she was always encouraged to sing at family gatherings. Her father discouraged her from making music her career, and she followed his wishes, but she continued to play and sing for relatives throughout her life, even as she worked as a house cleaner.

In 1962, amid fears for their children in the early years of Fidel Castroe28099s regime, ílvarez and her husband sent the children to the U.S. as part of the evacuation program called Operation Pedro Pan. A few years later, she was able to rejoin her children in the U.S., and the family settled in Baton Rouge. While she raised her family, ílvarez also wrote songs, filling notebooks with lyrics.

In 2009, one of ílvareze28099s grandsons asked her if he could record some of her songs so they would be preserved for the family. He was surprised to discover her notebooks full of songs, and he encouraged her to record an album, which he helped produce. The project came to fruition in 2021 with her self-titled debut. The following year, ílvarez was honored with the Latin Grammy Award, which she shared with singer and songwriter Silvana Estrada of Mexico. Also in 2022, she appeared in the Latinx-centered e2809cFather of the Bridee2809d adaptation. She was featured in the 2021 documentary e2809cMiss Angela.e2809d

Notable quote

e2809cYour life starts today. Always aspire to achieve something e2804e28094 chase the inspiration to sing, to pick up an instrument, to paint e2804e28094 do it. And done28099t get stuck on the idea that you may fail. Keep going and moving forward and when you finally do get to the end, thate28099s when you can say I can or I cane28099t e2804e28094 but always try it first.e2809d e2804e28094 from a 2022 interview for Variety

Tributes to íngela ílvarez

Full obituary: The New York Times

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