José Miguel Class

{{short description|Puerto Rican musician}} {{Infobox musical artist |image = |image_size = |caption = |background =solo_singer |birth_date = {{Birth date|1935|09|26|mf=y}} |birth_place = Manatí, Puerto Rico |death_date = {{Death date and age|2017|04|13|1935|09|26|mf=y}} |death_place = Hato Rey, Puerto Rico |occupation = Singer }}

'''José Miguel Class Ponce''' (September 26, 1935 – April 13, 2017) was a Puerto Rican singer who garnered international fame during the 1960s and 1970s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.manati.info/biografias/jm%20class/Jose%20Miguel%20Class.htm|title=Biografía de José Miguel Class Ponce|accessdate=October 6, 2010|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100512200541/http://www.manati.info/biografias/jm%20class/Jose%20Miguel%20Class.htm|archivedate=May 12, 2010}}</ref>

==Biography== {{unreferenced section|date=April 2017}} Nicknamed "El Gallito de Manatí" ("Manati's Bantam"), Class achieved fame in Puerto Rico in the 1960s before moving to Mexico, where he achieved wide success. His period as a resident there proved important for his career: He released various Mexican music albums and he was able to achieve fame across Central America, South America and the rest of the Caribbean.

When Class returned to Puerto Rico during the decade of the '70s, he immediately landed a weekly television show in Rafael Perez Perry's Channel 11, which he co-hosted with Awilda (Awilda La Mimosa) Pedrosa. His adopted Mexican accent was noticeable during the run of this show; as a matter of a fact, he kept the Mexican accent for a very long time. His catchphrase was "Yo soy el Gallo!" ("I am the Rooster!") He retired to his hometown of Manati. He released over 20 albums, many of which have been converted into CD format. {{citation needed|date=April 2017}}

==Death== Class died on the morning of April 13, 2017, aged 81 following a long illness at Auxilio Mutuo Hospital in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico.<ref>{{cite web|author=Patricia Vargas Casiano|url=http://www.elnuevodia.com/entretenimiento/musica/nota/falleceelgallitodemanati-2310608|title=Fallece El Gallito de Manatí|date=13 April 2017 |language=es|publisher=Elnuevodia.com|accessdate=April 14, 2017}}</ref>

==Selected discography== ;Singles Nuestro Pan De Cada Dia *"Despedida", written by Jose Manuel "Taty" Calderón Hernandez.

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.prpop.org/biografias/j_bios/jose_miguel_class.shtml José Miguel Class biography, National Foundation for Popular Culture, San Juan, Puerto Rico (in Spanish)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922142110/http://www.prpop.org/biografias/j_bios/jose_miguel_class.shtml |date=2013-09-22 }}, prpop.org; accessed April 13, 2017.<br>([https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.prpop.org/biografias/j_bios/jose_miguel_class.shtml&ei=zresTPOKJMaqlAfswenOBw&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=18&ved=0CGQQ7gEwEQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3DEl%2BGallito%2Bde%2BManati%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26prmd%3Div SEE English translation '''here'''])

==See also== {{Portal|Puerto Rico|Biography|Music}} *List of Puerto Ricans *List of Puerto Rican songwriters *Irish immigration to Puerto Rico {{Clear}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Class, Jose Miguel}} Category:1936 births Category:2017 deaths Category:People from Manatí, Puerto Rico Category:21st-century Puerto Rican male singers Category:21st-century Puerto Rican singers