Willy Chirino performs onstage during the 2025 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year Honoring Raphael on November 12, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images for The Latin Recording Academy)
Leon Bennett
Getty Images for The Latin Recor
Never too late.
Willy Chirino just got an honorary doctorate in music at Florida International University. DId we mention he’s 79?
FIU President Jeanette Nuñez did the honors and acknowledged Chirino’s 50-year-plus career.
The pioneer of “Miami Sound” arrived in Miami at the age of 14 as part of Operation Pedro Pan and has since released over 20 albums. His 1991 song “Ya viene llegando” (1991) is an anthem for Cuban exiles, with his works banned from state media on the island “Not only for all he has done in music but also for the cause of freedom,” she said. “Our students understand the significance of these values deeply.”
“Dream it and it will happen,” the salsa/merengue great told the students body on Monday. “But don’t dream small, dream as big as you possibly can, without limits. I stand before you as living proof that it can happen.”
The Latin music icon ended the speech, shouting in defiance, “Viva, Cuba libre!” Free Cuba!
Miami Herald
Celebrity/real time news reporter Madeleine Marr has been with The Miami Herald since 2003. She has covered such features as travel, fashion and food. In 2007, she helped launch the newspaper’s daily People Page, attending red carpet events, awards ceremonies and press junkets; interviewing some of the biggest names in show business; and hosting her own online show. She is originally from New York City.