Happy Birthday Former Menudo Member Ricky Martin

Enrique Martín Morales was born today, December 24, in 1971.  He is now mostly known as Ricky Martin. He is a Puerto Rican singer, actor, and author. Martin began his career at age 12 with the all-boy pop group Menudo. After 5 years with the group, he released several Spanish-language solo albums throughout the 1990s. He also acted on stage and on TV in Mexico, where he achieved modest stardom. In 1994, he appeared on the US TV soap opera General Hospital, playing a Puerto Rican singer.

In early 1999, after releasing several albums in Spanish, Martin performed "The Cup of Life" at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards show, which became a catalyst in bringing Latin pop to the forefront of the U.S. music scene. 



Following its success, Martin released "Livin' la Vida Loca," which helped him attain enormous success worldwide; it is generally seen as the song that began the Latin pop explosion of 1999 and made the transition easier for other Spanish-speaking artists to move into the English-speaking market. Since its release, the song has sold more than 8 million copies, making it one of the best selling singles of all time. 

His first English-language album (also titled Ricky Martin), has sold 22 million copies and is one of the best selling albums of all time. His other studio albums include: Me Amarás (1993), A Medio Vivir (1995), Vuelve (1998), Sound Loaded (2000), Almas del Silencio (2003), Life (2005), Música + Alma + Sexo (2011), and A Quien Quiera Escuchar (2015).

Martin was in an on-off relationship with Mexican TV host Rebecca de Alba for more than 14 years. The pair had spoken of starting a family together, and Martin had at one point considered proposing to her.

After the success of "Livin' la Vida Loca," Martin's personal life became a subject of interest due to his large gay following, and he was questioned about his sexual orientation. In a December 2000 interview with The Mirror, Martin was asked to comment on the rumors surrounding his sexuality. He replied: "I don't think I should have to tell anyone if I am gay or not, or who I've slept with or not."

On March 29, 2010, Martin publicly acknowledged his homosexuality in a post on his official Website, stating: "I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am." Martin said that "these years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within, and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn't even know existed."

Beginning April 2016, he started dating Syrian Swedish painter Jwan Yosef. The two announced their engagement on 16 November 2016.Martin developed an interest in philanthropy when Menudo became UNICEF ambassadors, often working with impoverished children in third world countries. His experiences as an ambassador affected him greatly and inspired him to continue working with charities later in life.

Martin is the founder of Fundación Ricky Martin (Ricky Martin Foundation), a non-profit organization. Among the events promoted by the foundation was a summer camp, which included Martin's personal participation.

Martin has been honored with accolades including: Leadership in the Arts Award, Billboard's Spirit of Hope Award, ALMA Award, Vanguard Award, International Humanitarian Award by the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, Hispanic Heritage Award for his humanitarian work through the Sabera Foundation in rescuing three orphan girls from the streets of Kolkata (September 2002).

Martin has also collaborated with the International Organization for Migration on the Llama y Vive (Call and Live), a campaign which is aimed to facilitate prevention of human trafficking, protection of the youngest victims of child trafficking, and prosecution of the traffickers. For his work against human trafficking, the United States Department of State named Martin one of its Heroes in Ending Modern-Day Slavery in 2005.