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1923–2000 · Influential Figure · Musician • Bandleader • Composer

Tito Puente, born Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. on April 20, 1923, in New York City to Puerto Rican parents, was a musician, bandleader, and composer. He formed what became the Tito Puente Orchestra and became a leading figure in the mambo and cha-cha-cha movements of the 1950s. Over the next five decades, he helped define Latin jazz in the United States, often blending Latin music with other musical styles and traditions. During more than 60 years in the music business, he recorded more than 100 albums and won five Grammy Awards. He died May 31, 2000, in New York.