Mourners pay tribute to merengue icon Rubby Pérez, who died in the
Dominican roof collapse
[April 11, 2025]
By FERNANDA FIGUEROA
Fans and countrymen on Thursday shared their remembrances of Dominican
Republic music icon Rubby Pérez, who was among the scores of people
killed this week after the roof at the Jet Set club in Santo Domingo
collapsed. He was 69.
Know for songs such as “Volveré,” “El Africano” and “Tu Vas a Volar,"
Pérez devoted his long career to merengue, the signature musical style
of the Dominican Republic. It earned him the title, “the highest voice
in merengue,” despite it being his second career choice.
Born on March 8, 1956, in Haina, Pérez aspired to be a baseball player,
but those dreams came to an halt when his right leg was injured in a car
accident.
Pérez eventually found solace in the guitar and started his musical
career in the 1970s. He made his debut as part of Los Pitagoras del
Ritmo.
In 1989, Pérez joined Wilfrido Vargas' orchestra, which gave him the
opportunity to launch his solo career in 1987. In 2022, Pérez released
his latest album, “Hecho Esta.”
His albums have gone gold and platinum in Venezuela and earned him the
Orchestra and Merengue of the Year honors at the Soberano Awards, the
Dominican music awards.
Following news that Pérez was one of the victims of the collapse, Vargas
released a statement saying you can never really say goodbye to an
artist like Pérez whose “legacy transcends time and space.”
“His voice, powerful and full of life will continue to resonate in every
corner of our Dominican Republic and beyond,” Vargas said. “Rubby was
not just a singer; he was a symbol of courage, passion and artistic
excellence.”
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The hat and sunglasses of Dominican singer Rubby Perez, who died in
the roof collapse at the Jet Set nightclub during his merengue
concert, sit on his casket during his wake at the Eduardo Brito
National Theater in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Thursday,
April 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Days before the collapse, was in New
York City. At what would be his last performance in the U.S., he
told fans he was exited to be traveling to Santo Domingo.
A public funeral service was held for Pérez on Thursday in Santo
Domingo’s National Theater.
“He was a beloved man,” Martitza Martinez, 75, said in Spanish of
Pérez, adding that she had attended three of his parties in the
Dominican Republic, in part because her cousin was his car mechanic.
“Performing live, he was excellent.”
Martinez joined other mourners Thursday outside the United Palace
theatre where Pérez had once performed in Washington Heights, the
center of the Dominican diaspora in New York City. Across from the
palace, a poster of Pérez was taped to a tree, framed between
Dominican flags above and candles below that bore the images of
Jesus and the Virgin Mary.
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Associated Press reporter Cedar Attanasio contributed.
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