"Whatever it is your heart desires, please go for it. It's yours to have."

• Born Gloria Fajardo on Sept. 1, 1957, in Havana, Cuba

• Considered the Queen of Latin Pop, Gloria Estefan got her start as the lead singer in Miami Sound Machine. The group had their first Top 10 hit in 1985 with "Conga." Following this success, subsequent albums transitioned Estefan into a Latin pop solo act with a string of Top 10 albums, including Let It Loose (1987), Cut Both Ways (1989) and Into The Light (1991). 

• Estefan earned her first career GRAMMY for 1993 for Mi Tierra for Best Tropical Latin Album. She made her GRAMMY stage debut at the 32nd GRAMMY Awards in 1990 with a performance of "Don't Wanna Lose You."

• Did you know? In 2015 Estefan made a brief appearance on the TV show, "Glee," where she played cheerleader Santana Lopez's mother.

• In 1994 Gloria Estefan was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year. The annual gala raises funds for MusiCares, which provides services and resources that cover a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies for music people.

• In 1997 Estefan founded the Gloria Estefan Foundation to support education, health and cultural development. The organization is funded in part by donations from Estefan's songs and benefit concerts.