Miguel Ángel Cancel Vázquez (born June 28, 1968) is a Puerto Rican singer, actor and retired police officer who began his career with the Puerto Rico-based boy band Menudo.

Career

Menudo

Miguel was born in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

as the only child of Gloria and Felix Cancel. Miguel joined Menudo as a singer in 1981, replacing Óscar Meléndez. He was the first bilingual element on the band, and he was part of the most iconic age of the band called "the golden age" next to Xavier Serbiá, René Farrait, Ricky Meléndez, Johnny Lozada, Charlie Massó and Ray Reyes, collaborating in making Menudo an international sensation, with LP albums like Fuego, Quiero Ser, Por Amor and Una Aventura Llamada Menudo. He acted in the 2 movies Menudo appeared at, '' Menudo: La Pelicula'' in 1981 and '' Una Aventura Llamada Menudo'' in 1982, and the two mini series '' Quiero Ser'' and '' Es Por Amor'' next to Xavier Serbiá, Johnny Lozada, Charlie Massó, Ricky Meléndez and René Farrait, and he also appeared on the TV show, La Gente Joven de Menudo on Telemundo PR as a member of the group. In 1983, Cancel quit drastically Menudo at the age of 15, a year before the mandatory retirement age of 16, due to his desire to live a "normal life", even as his voice was already recorded for Menudo's next album, "A Todo Rock". He was replaced by Roy Rosselló. Cancel sang lead on various Menudo hits, including A Volar, Cuándo Pasará, Por Amor, Xanadú, Quiero Rock, Me Voy A Enamoriscar etc. Miguel entered at the start of 1981 and left at the end of 1983, an era that was part of what is the golden age of the band and the international "menuditis" era, the band becoming famous on countries like the U.S.,

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

and others

After Menudo

1980s

In 1984, Cancel released his first solo recording, the pop rock single entitled "Fun Fun Fun Fun" (English/Spanish). The single was produced and written by Doug Fieger, lead singer of The Knack, and issued on Cancel's newly formed independent label, Miguel Enterprises.

El Reencuentro

In 1998, Cancel was recruited by his ex bandmate Ray Reyes while he worked in the kitchen of a fast food restaurant in the suburbs of Los Angeles to join El Reencuentro, a group consisting of former Menudo members. The band recorded and issued an album of previously released Menudo songs and toured throughout the world in promotion of the album.

2000s-present

In 2003, Cancel became a police officer of the

Coral Gables, Florida Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida and is located southwest of Greater Downtown Miami, Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

Police Department. In December 2004, he was ejected from the back seat of a Coral Gables police van resulting in the loss of two fingers from his left hand. Cancel currently lives in Miami, Florida, with his family. He has 4 children Sasha Cancel, Izabella Cancel, Miguel Cancel, Jr. and Mariangelik Cancel. Miguel Cancel Jr. (Miguel Cancel Gulliver) is a swimmer who has won medals in competition at the Florida High School Athletic Association level. In 2012, Cancel announced that he would again be returning to the music industry as a solo artist, his first solo effort having been in 1984.

In pop culture

Miguel with Johnny, Ricky, Rene, Xavier, Charlie and Ray, among many others, became part of the history of Latin music as the most important boy band of all times in Latin America, being icons of the decade with songs like "Claridad", "Fuego" and "Sùbete a mi moto" that are considered by many the most important and iconic songs in the history of Latin America Cancel is played by Mauro Hernandez in the 2020 Amazon Prime Video series based on Menudo, '' Súbete A Mi Moto''.

Discography

With Menudo

* '' Fuego'' (1981) * '' Xanadu'' (1981) * '' Quiero Ser'' (1981) * '' Por Amor'' (1982) * '' Una aventura llamada Menudo'' (1982) * '' Feliz Navidad'' (1982) * ''Adios Miguel'' (1983)

References

External links

Kiwanis award for Officer of the Month

Racine Journal-Times article that mentions van crash
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cancel, Miguel 1968 births Singers from Chicago Living people Puerto Rican law enforcement personnel Los Angeles Police Department officers Menudo (band) members American male singers American musicians of Puerto Rican descent People from Coral Gables, Florida