Ricky Martin





Not since Elvis has a pair of hips caused such a stir. Former Menudo cherub Ricky Martin went into the February 1999 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles an unknown, shook his bon bon, and came out a bona fide celebrity.

Madonna begged to duet with the leather trouser-clad heart-throb, overnight his single La Copa De La Vida – the 1998 World Cup theme – appeared on every radio station playlist, and suddenly his trademark grin became a magazine cover staple.

But before that fateful night, Ricky was livin' la vida loca everywhere but the United States and Britain. His first four albums sold a collective 15 million copies, but he didn't cause a ripple in the US until 1994, when he sent housewives into a tizzy as singing bartender Miguel Morez on the Emmy-award winning soap General Hospital.

Born Enrique Martin on December 24, 1971, Ricky grew up shuffling between divorced parents Enrique, a psychologist, and mother Nereida. Though much of his growing up took place on tour with the "revolving-door" boy band Menudo, whose stars are forced into retirement around puberty and replaced with younger models, Ricky's success caused a major rift in the family. During short tour breaks, Enrique Sr wanted his millionaire son to choose between his parents. Ricky chose Mom, though after a stint as a US soap stud, the burgeoning star reconciled with his father, saying "I hated the estrangement and couldn't live with it anymore."

Having left Menudo at age 17, Ricky floundered in New York taking acting and singing lessons before relocating to Mexico where he became a soap star and made his musical theatre debut. In 1991, he recorded his first solo album, which sold 500,000 copies worldwide, an unheard-of feat for a Latin debut artist.

A successful follow-up album, Me Amaras, surfaced before Ricky relocated to LA where he landed the soap gig General Hospital. Leaving the show in '95, he shifted gears to play Marius in the long-running Broadway musical Les Miserables.

Two Spanish albums followed, the latter of which, Vuelve, featured La Copa De La Vida. His eponymously-titled English language album, featuring the ubiquitous Livin' La Vida Loca, sold 20 million worldwide and its success is now considered a benchmark for the current Latin crossover wave that includes Marc Anthony, Enrique Iglesias, and Jennifer Lopez. In 2000, he released Sound Loaded, featuring the catchy single She Bangs.

On the subject of his own love-life, Ricky remains mum. Rumours of homosexuality have surrounded the six-foot singer, whose past romances include tennis superstar Gabriela Sabatini, former MTV House Of Style host Daisy Fuentes, actress Lilly Melgar, and back-up dancer Adriana Biega.

Though over the years even American interview queen Barbara Walters couldn't make Ricky talk about his private life, in 2003 the singer suddenly opened up, revealing he was in love with Mexican model and TV host Rebecca de Alba.

"We met each other 14 years ago and right now we're very happy," he told one magazine. He added: "I'm feeling ready to start a family... It would be incredible to have a 'Ricky Martin, Jr'… I would be a great dad and I'd take the kids everywhere."