Five amazing human beings — Betty White, Vicente Fernandez, Virgil Abloh, Octavio Ocaña, and finally Carmen Salinas — contributed majorly to our culture in their lifetimes; unfortunately, they passed away in 2021.

In a random survey of 50 Morton East students, 25 selected Vicente Fernandez as the most known actor/artist.

Vicente Fernandez was born on February 17, 1940, and died December 12, 2021. Fernandez entered a singing contest at the age of 14 and won first place. That win gave him confidence to start performing in restaurants and weddings.  He was known as El Rey de la Música Ranchera, a famous singer that sang 61 songs to his fans. He sold over 50 million copies worldwide. His career spanned for over 35 years until his retirement in 2013. Fernandez had won eight Latin Grammy Awards and three Grammy Awards. Fernandez left his world at the age of 81.

19 Morton East students selected Betty White as the 2nd most known actor/artist. White was an American actress and a comedian. Five Morton East students selected Carmen Salinas as the 3rd most know actor/artist. Salinas was a Mexican actress, impressionist, comedian, politicians, and theatre entrepreneur. One person from Morton East selected Virgil Abloh as the 4th  most known actor/artist the barrier-breaking Black designer whose ascent to the heights of the traditional luxury industry changed what was possible in fashion. Octavio Ocaña was a Mexican actor that played in a Mexican show called “Vecinos.”