What was Héctor Lavoe's birth name?

Héctor Lavoe’s birth name was Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez.

Lavoe was born with the name Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on September 30, 1946. “Héctor Lavoe” was his professional name, adopted as he built his career in New York’s Latin music scene.

The singer came from a musical family. His father, Luis Pérez, played guitar and sang with local trios and bands, while his mother, Francisca Martínez, was also recognized for her voice. Those influences helped direct him toward singing from an early age.

Lavoe became widely known through his work with Willie Colón and later as a solo artist. His stage name is therefore easy to mistake for his legal name, while the other options are birth names of different major Latin performers: Ismael Miranda, Marco Antonio Muñiz and Rubén Blades.