This is what Miriam Cruz looks like, the former singer of Las Chicas del Can who became “The Diva of Merengue” at the age of 55: Which members of the famous group from the 80s died?

Miriam Cruz is one of the most emblematic voices of Dominican merengue and one of the most remembered in Can girls. At 55, the singer is still relevant and renewed in the music industry, with a career spanning nearly four decades.

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Her career began when she was a 13-year-old teenager, but then she joined a women’s orchestra Can girlsdirected by Belkis Concepción, Miriam achieved national and international success in the 80s by performing songs that became classics of the genre, reports Diario Libre.

The same media reported that last October, the merengue singer celebrated her 38-year career with a performance in which she looked back at her greatest hits, both with Las Chicas del Can and during her time as a soloist.

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This is what Miriam Cruz looks like today

Currently, Miriam shares a part of her personal and professional life on her Instagram account with her more than 770 thousand followers. In recent pictures you can see that she has blonde hair and is still very active on stage.

The artist, known for songs such as “La loba”, “Cosas de el” and “Juana, la cubana”, said that the secret of her persistence is constant innovation.

“Every day I try to do something new. If I had been left alone with my repertoire, it would not have been the same. Every year I make a production that allows me to renew the songs and thus win a new audience and bring back those who listened to me when I started doing music,” he told Diario Libre.

The singer known as “Merengue diva” also expressed interest in bringing his life to the big screen through a film.

Chicas del Can members who have died

The famous female group has behind them a successful musical career, but also one marked by tragedy. Several of its members have died over the years, leaving a void in Dominican merengue.

One of the most recent losses was that of Janni Vilorija, who was part of the group as a bass player. Viloria died on January 14, 2024 at the age of 54 after brain surgery, Listín Diario reported.

Her full name was Norma Deyanira Viloria Brito and she was the mother of Jennifer Báez, also a singer. The famous musician Wilfrido Vargas, who was the creator of Las Chicas del Can, dedicated a few emotional words to her on his Instagram profile.

“With great nostalgia today we say goodbye to Janni Viloria, mother of my niece Jennifer Báez, former bassist of Las Monumentales Chicas del Can. Her special charisma, sense of rhythm, grace, talent and understanding of the musical context made her stand out in her performance in music and in the lives of many,” Vargas wrote.

Another member who died was Eunice Betances, she was the backing singer of Las Chicas del Can and the group Miriam Cruz. Betances died in October 2014 from breast cancer that spread to the brain, El Tiempo newspaper reported.

Likewise, Verónica Medina, who was the singer of Las Chicas del Can in the first phase, died in November 2016 of a heart attack, according to the newspaper El Nacional.

Medina was 55 years old and was remembered for performing songs like “Nobody’s Daughter” or “Without Him”. (AND)