He’s been called the King of Latin Pop and the Latin Music King. And now, Ricky Martin, global singing sensation, songwriter, actor, author, and humanitarian, has even more to celebrate.
Happy Birthday, Ricky Martin!
And that’s because he was born on December 24, 1971, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which means that this multi-talented performer is turning 52 years old today! Martin began working at the age of 9 via commercials for products such as soft drinks, toothpaste, and restaurants.
When he was 12, Martin became a member of the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, whom he performed with for the next five years. Afterward, he appeared in the play Mom Loves Rock.
Next came the Mexican telenovela Alcanzar una Estrella II and its subsequent feature film adaption. In 1991, Martin released his debut solo album, the Spanish-language Ricky Martin.
The record proved to be a success, and it paved the way for a secondary effort – Me Amaras (1993). In 1994, Martin immigrated to the U.S. and landed a role on the sitcom Getting By. After, he spent two years playing Miguel Morez on the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital.
Martin spent the latter part of the 90s refocusing on his musical endeavors, and his efforts would produce a series of successful albums including A Medio Vivir (1995), Vuelve (1998), and his first English-language album, Ricky Martin (1999).
In 1999, Martin performed La Copa De La Vida (The Cup of Life) on The Grammys. His performance had everyone up on their feet and played a significant role in skyrocketing his popularity.
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Over the next two decades, Martin released a further five albums. He also continued to act. Among his credits are a guest appearance on Glee (2012), and the season of American Crime Story which had the assassination of Gianni Versace as its subject. He played the doomed designer’s lover, Antonio D’Amico. Martin has also provided the Latin American dub for several popular animated characters including the eponymous Hercules (1997), and Herb Overkill from Minions (2015).
During his career, Martin has received more than 200 awards, including two Grammy Awards, five Latin Grammy Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards, three Billboard Music Awards, and two America Music Awards. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007.
He is also well known for his activism which has included fighting for gay rights, serving as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, and founding the Ricky Martin Foundation, whose mission is to advocate for the well-being of children around the world.
Martin is also a published author with both an autobiography, Me, and a children’s book, Santiago the Dreamer in Land Among the Stars to his credit.
Martin married Jwan Yosef in 2018, but the couple split in 2023. They have four children: twin boys Matteo and Valentino (born in August 2008), daughter Lucia Martin-Yosef (born December 31, 2018), and son Renn Martin-Yosef (born October 20, 2019).
Soap Hub would like to wish Ricky Martin a very happy birthday, and you can too by clicking on the X (formerly Twitter) link below. Also, share your favorite memory of his work or if you’ve met him personally in the comments section.
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