The Passing of Pedro “Cuban Pete” Aguilar

Was informed by a fellow Salsa dancing friend about the passing of Pedro “Cuban Pete” Aguilar, one of the leading mambo dancers of the 1950s, He was 81.

The mambo legend passed away Tuesday at the Sinai Plaza Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in Miami, said Barbara Craddock, his longtime dance partner. Craddock described his cause of death as heart failure but said it could be related to his diabetes.

Aguilar was born in Puerto Rico in 1927 and grew up in the New York barrio. He picked up the nickname “Cuban Pete” in 1949 at the Palladium Ballroom in New York. The nickname referenced a Desi Arnaz song, and Arnaz himself later endorsed Aguilar’s use of it.

Aguilar first rose to fame by winning scores of dance competitions in the 1950s with his partner Millie Donay. He continued to dance professionally for nearly his entire life, whether he was teaching lessons, hosting workshops or judging competitions.

Aguilar was a choreographer and consultant for the 1992 movie, “The Mambo Kings,” starring Antonio Banderas and Armand Assante. Aguilar and Craddock served as choreographic consultants and instructors for the Miami City Ballet’s “Mambo No. 2 a.m.”

Another legend has left us but definitely will not be forgotten.  Only thing I know of this legend is what I read online and from online videos. Nevertheless, he will be missed.