Cuban Links: Celebrities With Roots in La Isla Bonita

Pitbull, Laz Alonso and other stars who hail from Cuba.

Pitbull: January 15 - The Cuban bad boy rapper celebrates his 32nd birthday.  (Photo: Albert L. Ortega/PictureGroup)
Christina Milian @ChristinaMilian - Tweet: May you rest peacefully #MayaAngelou May your words continue to inspire and resonate till the end of… http://instagram.com/p/oiza8sMWra/  (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Emilio and Gloria Estefan - This music industry power couple is Cuban to the core. Both were born on the island — Gloria in Havana and Emilio in Santiago de Cuba — and fled to Miami during the Cuban Revolution. The couple, who married after meeting through the Miami Sound Machine in 1976, remain dedicated activists for Cuba libre and have strong ties with their native place.  (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images for Keep Memory Alive)Laz Alonso, @lazofficial - Tweet: "So I saw #12yearsaslave last night. I was emotionally devastated after the film. Couldn't even stay 4 the Q&A. I thought about it all night..."   (Photo: Michael Kovac/Getty Images for AdColor)

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Pitbull - President Obama has once again made history. On December 18, Obama ordered the restoration of diplomatic relations with Cuba and the opening of an embassy in Havana for the first time in more than a half-century.  Travel restrictions will be lifted to Cuba for family visits, official government business and educational activities. However, tourist travel remains banned. In honor of this historic step forward with Cuba, we're putting a spotlight on some of its most notable exports. Here are just a few celebs who hail from la isla bonita. He may be known as Mr. 305, but this hitmaker's roots are pure cubano. The rapper, born Armando Christian Pèrez in Miami, comes from a family of Cuban expatriates. The titles of two of his hit albums, El Mariel and The Boatlift, reference the treacherous 90 mile journey from Cuba to Miami. (Photo: Isaac Brekken/Getty Images fo...

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