Lissette

Lissette, the offspring of the celebrated Cuban husband-and-wife duo Olga y Tony formed by Olga Chorens and Tony Álvarez, carved out an independent career through multiple pop successes and frequent high-profile turns on television and in motion pictures. She came into the world in Lima, Peru, during one of her parents’ tour stops there, then passed her formative years in Havana with the family before joining Olga y Tony on circuits throughout Latin America and scoring her first hit at age five. Initially dispatched to the United States for schooling, she rejoined her parents three years afterward in Puerto Rico, where she was awarded her own television program and, shortly thereafter, a recording contract.

She soon emerged as a Puerto Rico style setter who originated the trend known as the “Lissette look.” Her wedding to singer Chucho Avellanet became a major celebrity occasion, and she went on to host several television specials while starring in the soap opera Solamente Tu. Although her recording output was frequently subordinated to an extensive schedule of performances, she released numerous popular songs, among them “Quiereme...Tengo Frio,” “Caricatura,” and her Spanish-language version of “Total Eclipse of the Heart” titled “Eclipse Total del Amor.” She also appeared in the 1979 American film Winter Kills, which featured Jeff Bridges, John Huston, and Anthony Perkins, and later married fellow recording artist Willy Chirino.