MILIKI

Born Emilio Aragón Bermúdez on November 4, 1929, in Sevilla, Spain, the performer later known as Miliki entered the world decades before his fame took shape. He and brothers Alfonso and Gabriel formed Los Payasos de la Tele while still young, performing under the names Gaby, Fofo, and Miliki. Their stage work began in 1939 at the Circo Price. Although the family relocated to America during the brothers’ teenage years, Cuba offered the first real platform for their music. Starting in 1949, they appeared on television programs broadcast throughout Latin America. There Miliki encountered his future wife, and the couple soon welcomed children Rita Irasema and Emilio. After Los Payasos disbanded, Miliki maintained a creative bond with his daughter, releasing a series of joint albums that opened with La Vuelta al Mundo en 30 Minutos in 1986 and closed with Superguay in 1993. In 1999 he shifted focus and launched a new identity as a children’s entertainer, issuing eight albums aimed at young listeners or the young at heart through 2009; several, including Tablas de Multiplicar, carried an educational emphasis. His final recording, Miliki y los Cantantes Ayudantes, appeared in 2009. Thereafter he explored other media, directing the Spanish Civil War film Pájaros de Papel in 2010 and publishing the novel Mientras Duermen los Murciélagos in 2012. He died in Madrid on November 18, 2012, at age 83. His son Emilio Aragón Álvarez, known professionally as Milikito, continued the family tradition as an actor, producer, musician, and television presenter.