By recording solely in Spanish, Cruz never found her way into the mainstream – but the mainstream found its way to her. Among her collaborators were Patti LaBelle, Wyclef Jean. Luciano Pavarotti and "Mambo King" Tito Puente. Cruz also appeared in several films, including 1992's The Mambo Kings. Two years later, President Clinton awarded her the National Medal of Arts.

Despite her infectious joy, the singer, who escaped poverty in her native Havana as a teen after winning a singing competition that launched her career, nursed psychic pain throughout her adult life. After defecting from Cuba in 1960 following Fidel Castro's takeover, the singer, who later became a U.S. citizen, was branded a traitor and not permitted to return, even for her mother's funeral in '62. "I keep thinking about Cuba," she told People en Español in January. "It always hurts me." Also, says Saralegui, "she was sad because she never got to have children" due to fertility problems. Perhaps as a result, Cruz was close to her three siblings' children and often took young people under her wing. "She was always looking after me," singer Marc Anthony said in March. "It's like having another mother."

On July 29 fans will receive one last gift: the release of Cruz's final album, Regalo del Alma (Gift from the Soul). A copy of the CD was buried with Cruz, as was a jar of soil from her beloved Cuba. But "she left more than No. 1 hits," says producer Emilio Estefan. "She left a legacy of love."

– Written by: JILL SMOLOWE
– Reported by: LYDIA MARTIN, MARÍA MORALES and LINDA TRISCHITTA in Miami and ARMANDO CORREA, RACHEL FELDER, BOB MEADOWS and JOSELLY CASTRODAD-SÁNCHEZ in New York City

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