Gilda

Gilda’s star shone brightly for just six years but she left behind a lasting legacy, one immortalized in 2016 biopic I Am Gilda (The Latin Music Saint). The life and death of the Argentinian cumbia icon born Míriam Alejandra Bianchi in Buenos Aires on October 11, 1961 was one of struggle, success, and tragedy. A former gardener and physical education teacher, Bianchi cut her teeth as a backup vocalist in tropical band La Barra, after meeting composer and keyboardist Juan Carlos "Toti" Giménez. She later joined the band Crema Americana. Bianchi chose the namesake Gilda in homage to Rita Hayworth’s character in the eponymous film, and launched her solo career in 1992 with first album De Corazón A Corazón, produced by José Olaya, aka "El Cholo", from the Tropical Clan. Bianchi went on to release three more studio albums, including 1994’s, Pasito A Pasito, which spawned the hit "No Me Arrepiento De Este Amor". At the height of her fame in 1996, Bianchi was tragically killed in a fatal bus crash. Her mother, daughter and band members were also among the fatalities.