The stars show up for a tribute to Gloria Estefan Monday December 01, 2008 2:00m EST The Cuban singer celebrates her Latin Grammy Person of the Year award. Gloria Estefan got a chance to look back at her musical accomplishments Wednesday at the George R. Brown Convention Center, where she was honored as the 2008 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year. (One of the events leading up the ninth annual Latin Grammys ceremony Thursday). Among those celebrating Estefan during the dinner and concert were Alejandra Guzman, Ednita Nazario, Patricia Manterola, Jose Feliciano, Patti LaBelle, Ednita Nazario and Jon Secada. The Cuban singer is honored for her 30 years in music, in which she's made a string of gorgeous Spanish-language albums: Mi Tierra (1993), Abriendo Puertas (1995), Alma Caribena (2005) and last year's 90 Millas (2007), which is up for three Latin Grammys this week. There are no immediate plans for new music, but Estefan hopes to eventually complete a second Christmas album and a collection of old American standards. *** *** Courtesy of Peopleenespanol.com Gloria Estefan (born Gloria Maria Fajardo on September 1, 1957) is a Grammy Award-winning Cuban American singer and songwriter. She is in the top 100 of best selling music artists with over 70 million albums sold worldwide, with 26.5 million of those alone in the United States. She has won five Grammy Awards becoming among the most successful crossover performers in Latin music to date. Her father worked as a bodyguard for Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista's wife. So during the Cuban Revolution the family had to flee. Gloria Estefan was 16 months old when she and her parents arrived at Miami. Like most Cuban exiles, Estefan is an ardent opponent of communism in general and of the Castro regime in particular. She has often spoken of her desire for a post-communist Cuba. When her father, a Veteran of the Vietnam War and the Bay of Pigs Invasion, returned from the war with physical and psychological problems, she decided to study psychology. She was the first pop star invited to perform for the Pope, singing "Mas Alla" as part of the celebration of Pope John Paul II's 50th anniversary in the priesthood. When she and John Paul II met, she asked him to pray for a free Cuba. She also supported the unsuccessful effort to keep young Elian Gonzalez in the United States. She was selected as Artist of the Year for the Latin Grammy in 2008. In 1984, Miami Sound Machine released their first Epic/Columbia album, Eyes Of Innocence which contained the dance hit "Dr. Beat" as well as the ballad "I Need Your Love". Their more successful follow-up album Primitive Love was released in 1985 launching three Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: "Conga" (U.S. #10), "Words Get In The Way” (U.S. #5), and "Bad Boy" (U.S. #8) became follow up hits in the U.S. and around the world. "Words Get In The Way" reached #1 on the US Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, establishing that the group could perform pop ballads as successfully as dance tunes. The song "Hot Summer Nights" was also released that year and was part of the blockbuster movie Top Gun. Estefan’s next album, 1987’s Let It Loose, went multi-platinum, with six million copies sold in the US. It featured the following hits: "Anything For You" (#1 Hot 100), "1, 2, 3" (#3 Hot 100), "Betcha Say That" (#36 Hot 100), "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" (#5 Hot 100), and "Can't Stay Away From You" (#6 Hot 100). "Can’t Stay Away From You," "Anything For You" and "1-2-3" were all #1 Adult Contemporary hits as well. Gloria became romantically involved with the Miami Sound Machine's band leader, Emilio Estefan, in 1976. She and Emilio married on September 2, 1978. They have a son, Nayib (born September 2, 1980) and a daughter, Emily Marie (born December 5, 1994). Gloria enjoys living in the quaintness of Vero Beach, Florida. Estefan and her husband own a number of business establishments including seven Cuban-themed restaurants (Bongos Cuban Cafe). The restaurants are located in Miami; Miami Beach, Downtown Miami, part of the American Airlines Arena; Disney World’s Downtown Disney in Orlando; Mexico City; and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. They also own two hotels: a hotel in Vero Beach, which was destroyed by Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in September 2004 (which will be renamed "Costa d'Este" and reopen in June 2008, according to a news release from Benchmark Hospitality), and The Cardozo in Miami Beach. Estefan was appointed to the board of directors for Univision Communications Inc. in 2007, according to Hispanic Market Weekly. The Estefans' current estimated net worth is approximately $500 million, according to an article in People En Espanol magazine (February 2007).