Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez (September 30, 1946 – June 29, 1993), best known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. Often recognized as "El Cantante de los Cantantes" (Spanish for "The Singer of Singers" or "The Singer's Singer").
Although not the first, nor even the most commercially successful artist of the genre at the time, Lavoe is considered by many experts as one of the greatest and most versatile vocalists salsa has ever produced and he also achieved enormous worldwide commercial success during two separate decades starting in the early 1970s, as lead singer for both Willie Colón and Eddie Palmieri, and as Fania All Stars bandleader and soloist.