Pedro Knight
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Pedro Knight Caraballo (b. September 30, 1921 - d. February 3, 2007) was an accomplished Cuban-American musician who was better known for being the husband of legendary singer Celia Cruz.
Knight was a trumpeter for Sonora Matancera when Cruz was hired, as a back-up singer. The couple soon began a relationship that lasted until Cruz's death in 2003 from a malignant cerebral tumor.
In 1960, members of the Sonora Matancera moved to Miami, Florida, fleeing Fidel Castro's Cuba. In 1961, they began performing at the prestigious Palladium Ballroom in New York City.
Knight and Cruz got married in 1962. It was at that point, that Knight decided to step back and let his wife take all the limelight, although he continued to tour as one of her musicians. Ironically, the fact that he took a step back in order to help his wife's career, also made him famous and well-respected across Latin America. He would be interviewed multiple times by television shows and make multiple show business friendships, including Maria Celeste Arraras, who expressed her respects to him about three months after Cruz's death, by telling him on live television to "remember (that we) all like you".
Knight was devastated by Cruz's death. Cruz used to call him "mi cabecita de algodón" ("my little cotton head"). He stood by her side as she suffered from cancer, and he had expressed hope in public that she would recuperate. They had no children. Cruz died 2 days after their 41st anniversary.
A fact that is not well known by the public is that Knight battled cancer himself; just one day after his wife underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from her breast, Knight went through surgery himself, having a cancerous tumor or polyp removed from his colon, from which he recovered fully.
Although he has been able to attend several activities dedicated to his late wife (such as a book signing of Cruz's auto-biography), his health was severely affected by her death, and, on July 7, 2004, he fainted during a cancer fundraiser in Miami, requiring hospitalization. Doctors diagnosed him with low blood pressure, caused by his diabetes and by an emotional breakdown during the ceremony.
Knight was involved in various posthumous projects dedicated to his wife, including books, CD's and a biographical movie.
On September 26, 2005, Knight had to be hospitalized once again, this time suffering from a cerebral hemorrhage. On February 16, 2006, Knight was once again hospitalized, after suffering from pain on his left arm. He was taken to an intensive care unit. He apparently had a heart attack. He inherited Cruz's multimillion-dollar fortune, but in recent years executors have squabbled over whether Knight was getting his share of the estate and whether the money was being mismanaged. Last year, according to published reports, Knight was evicted from his home in Palo Alto for defaulting on the $6,050 monthly rent. Funeral arrangements were being prepared in New York City. Knight is survived by one daughter from a previous marriage, Ernestina Knight of Tampa; and four children in Cuba: Pedro, Roberto, Emilia and Gladys.
On February 3, 2007, Knight died in a Los Angeles hospital, aged 85. He was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery alongside his wife.
