Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez (September 30, 1946 – June 29, 1993), better known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. .

Lavoe was born and raised in the Machuelo Abajo sector of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Early in his life, he attended the Ponce Free School of Music, today the Instituto de Música Juan Morel Campos, and developed an interest inspired by Jesús Sánchez Erazo. He moved to New York City on 3 May 1963, when he was almost 17 years old. On his first week living in the city, he worked as the singer of a sextet formed by Roberto García. During this period, he performed with several other groups, including Orquesta New York, Kako All-Stars, and the Johnny Pacheco band.