Part of 16th Street in Miami is now the Johnny Ventura Way in honor of the legendary Dominican merengue singer-songwriter, musician and arranger. Ventura died 28 July 2021 of heart failure. He is credited with modernizing merengue music. His widow, Josefina Flores de Ventura, was in Miami for the unveiling of the new street together with her children Juan Jose, Euridice and Jandy.
“Johnny Ventura was not only a great artist, he was a political figure who fought for the rights of his Dominican people and for all the oppressed peoples around the world, such as Cuba,” said Miami Commissioner Manolo Reyes.
In 2021, Ventura was recognized by the United States Congress for being an icon of Dominican music, internationally recognized for his talent and dedication to improving his community and exporting his music to the United States, Europe and Africa.
Ventura died when his heart failed after complications he suffered following recovering from Covid-19. He was 81 years old.
Ventura’s had produced 106 original tracks. He had received 28 Gold records and 2 Platinum records. He had been nominated for multiple Latin Grammys. In 2006 he was awarded the Latin Recording Academy Award for Musical Excellence (Latin Grammys).
A lawyer by profession, he graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of the Third Age in Santo Domingo. In the 1980s he served as a legislator, then as mayor of Santo Domingo.
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7 March 2022