From her modest childhood in Cuba, to her exile years in Mexico, to her remarkable career and life in America, Celia Cruz -- the Queen of Salsa -- was a woman of contradictions. Her flamboyant costumes clashed with her simple and straightforward demeanor. She was open and accessible to her fans, but staunchly private about her personal life. And now the woman who said, "I never wanted to write an autobiography," has done just that -- saying her final farewell to her fans.

Based on more than five hundred hours of taped interviews recorded just months before her death, Celia includes personal photos, notes, mementos, and anecdotes celebrating the soul of an extraordinary life blessed with talent, burdened with heartbreak, and rewarded with glorious triumphs.