Henry Arana was a composer of popular songs who was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...

 and lived all but the last years of his life in Puerto Rico. At the time of his death, after suffering Alzheimer's disease, he was residing in Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

 and was married to Carmen Mártir Santiago.

Arana composed hundreds of songs made popular by a wide variety of Puerto Rican artists, including Cano Estremera

Cano Estremera

Carlos Enrique Estremera Colón Carlos Enrique Estremera Colón Carlos Enrique Estremera Colón (born 2 September 1958 is a Puerto Rican Salsa singer who is a native of San Juan. Estremera, who is an albino, is nicknamed -and billed- as "El Cano" ("The Light-Colored Haired One"), a word which is...

, Bobby Valentín

Bobby Valentin

Bobby Valentin, also known as "El Rey del Bajo" , is a musician and salsa bandleader.-Early years:...

, Willie Rosario

Willie Rosario

Willie Rosario a.k.a. "Mr. Afinque" is a musician, composer and bandleader of salsa music.-Early years:Rosario was born and raised in Coamo, Puerto Rico into a poor, but hard working family. His parents realized that as a child Willie was musically inclined and had him take guitar lessons at the...

, El Gran Combo

El Gran Combo

El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, commonly known as El Gran Combo, is a Puerto Rican Salsa music orchestra. It is Puerto Rico's most successful musical group, and one of the most popular salsa orchestras across Latin America...

, Cortijo y su Combo, Tito Rojas

Tito Rojas

Julio César Rojas better known"El Gallo Salsero" Tito Rojas is a salsa singer and bandleader.-Early years:...

, Andy Montañez

Andy Montañez

Andrés Montañez , better known as Andy Montañez, is a salsa singer from Puerto Rico.-Early life:Montañez, like singer Daniel Santos and boxer Ossie Ocasio, is a native of the Tras Talleres area of Santurce San Juan. He is known by the nickname "El Godfather de la Salsa"...

, Gilberto Santa Rosa

Gilberto Santa Rosa

Gilberto Santa Rosa, also known as "El Caballero de la Salsa" , is a Puerto Rican bandleader and singer of salsa and bolero.-Early years:...

, La Sonora Ponceña

La Sonora Ponceña

La Sonora Ponceña is a Puerto Rican salsa band, founded in 1954 by Enrique "Quique" Lucca Caraballo. Quique's son, Papo Lucca, directs the band. The band has stayed active for a remarkable amount of time, recording dozens of albums, including a 55th anniversary album...

, Mario Ortiz

Mario Ortiz

Mario Sergio Ortiz Vallejos was a Chilean footballer.Ortiz played club football for Palestino and Colo-Colo, where he won league titles in 1960 and 1963....

 and Mario Hernández

Mario Hernandez

Mario Hernandez is an American writer, artist, and sometime publisher of comics. Along with his younger brothers Gilbert and Jaime he co-created the acclaimed independent comic book Love and Rockets.- Biography :...

, as well as Mexican artists, such as Adrián Alejandro.

Among his best known compositions are "Mi Puerto Rico", which was played as his remains were laid to rest at the Puerto Rico National Cemetery in Hato Tejas, Bayamón, Puerto Rico

Bayamón, Puerto Rico

Bayamón is a municipality of Puerto Rico located on the northern coastal valley, north of Aguas Buenas and Comerío; south of Toa Baja and Cataño; west of Guaynabo; and east of Toa Alta and Naranjito. Bayamón is spread over 11 wards and Bayamón Pueblo...

, "La novia automática", "Awilda", "Sanjuanero", "Por culpa de tu amor", "Como sube la gasolina" and "La gringa". His "Samba con Salsa", composed in the 1980s was a precursor of the fusion music that was popularized twenty years later.

Sources

• http://www.elnuevodia.com/XStatic/endi/template/content.aspx?se=nota&id=371652