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Reggaeton star Don Omar says he’s ‘cancer-free’ day after revealing diagnosis

The singer thanked fans for ‘your good wishes, prayers and thousands of messages’

Inga Parkel
New York
Tuesday 18 June 2024 19:20 BST
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Don Omar has cancer

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Pioneering reggaeton singer Don Omar has announced he’s “cancer-free” the day after he initially revealed his diagnosis to fans.

“I woke up today cancer-free and grateful. Thank you for your good wishes, prayers and thousands of messages. My surgery was a success now to recover,” the “Danza Kuduro” singer, 46, wrote on Instagram on Tuesday (June 18), alongside a photo of him flashing a peace sign with his hand.

The good news comes hours after he shared with fans that he had been battling cancer.

“Yes today but tomorrow I will be cancer-free. Good intentions are well received. See you all soon,” Omar said on Instagram on Tuesday, posting a picture of his wrist with an Orlando Hospital bracelet.

The Puerto Rican star, real name William Omar Landrón Rivera, did not disclose any further details about his diagnosis.

Omar was one of the first mainstream artists to popularize reggaeton with hits “Dile” and “Dale Don Dale” from his 2003 debut album, The Last Don.

Originating in Puerto Rico during the late Nineties, reggaeton quickly rose to prominence in the early 2000s and is now one of the top music genres in Spanish-speaking countries.

After revealing the news of his diagnosis, numerous Latin music stars shared messages of support on social media.

“You are a warrior of a thousand battles and you will win this one too of course,” Puerto Rican Grammy Award winner Olga Tañón wrote.

“God is with you as always and prayers are full of good wishes and will heal you,” fellow reggaeton star Franco El Gorila added. “You are a warrior, one of the greatest who has not allowed life to win over you. I am rooting for you my brother and even more so I am rooting to the one above who will heal you.”

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Omar is scheduled to embark on the second US leg of his 2024 Back to Reggaeton world tour in Oakland, California on August 7, before continuing on to several other major cities, including Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Denver, Colorado; Tampa, Florida and Newark, New Jersey.

He’ll end the tour in Belmont Park, New York on September 15.

Don Omar is the recipient of three Latin Grammy Awards
Don Omar is the recipient of three Latin Grammy Awards (Getty Images)

The tour is in support of Omar’s latest album, Forever King, and marks his first return to the road since he partnered with Daddy Yankee on his Kingdom Tour in 2015.

So far, Omar has grossed $17.8m and sold 146,000 tickets over the first 14 shows of his world tour, according to Billboard Boxscore figures.

Throughout his decades-long career, Omar has released seven studio albums: The Last Don (2003), King of Kings (2006), iDon (2009), Meet the Orphans (2010), MTO²: New Generation (2012), The Last Don 2 (2015), The Last Album (2019) and Forever King (2023).

With more than 37 million listeners on Spotify, Omar has been nominated for eleven Latin Grammys, of which he’s won three. He also has one Grammy nomination.

His other popular tracks include “Salió El Sol” and “Ojitos Chiquitos” from his 2006 album and “Guya Guya” from his 2015 record.

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