The morning of April 9, 2025, felt different in Santo Domingo. Heavy. It wasn't just the humidity; it was the news filtering through WhatsApp groups and radio stations about the cuerpo de rubby perez. For hours, there was this desperate, flickering hope that the "Voice of Thunder" had somehow dodged the impossible.
He hadn't.
If you grew up with merengue, Rubby wasn't just a singer. He was the soundtrack to every Christmas, every wedding, and every late-night drive where "Volveré" played on a loop. Seeing the headlines about his body being recovered from the rubble of the Jet Set nightclub felt like a punch to the gut for the entire Dominican Republic. It still does. Honestly, the details of that night are enough to make anyone rethink how fragile everything really is.
The Night the Music Stopped at Jet Set
The Jet Set wasn't just some club. It was a landmark. On that Monday night, April 7, into the early hours of Tuesday, it was packed. People weren't there for a casual drink; they were there to see a legend.
Rubby was 69, but the man had the energy of a twenty-year-old. He was on stage, mid-performance, when the unthinkable happened. The roof—massive, heavy, and aging—simply gave way. It wasn't a slow creak. It was a sudden, violent collapse that buried the stage and the dance floor under tons of concrete and steel.
Chaos? That’s an understatement.
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For a while, the information was a mess. His daughter, Zulinka Pérez, who was actually on stage as a backup singer, managed to survive. In the immediate aftermath, she told reporters that she thought he was alive. She even said he was singing from under the debris so rescuers could find him. That story went viral. It gave everyone a reason to breathe. But as the hours ticked by and the cuerpo de rubby perez remained pinned under the heavy structure, the optimism started to rot.
Finding the cuerpo de rubby perez
Rescuers worked for over 24 hours. They used hydraulic jacks, K9 units, and literally their bare hands. By Wednesday morning, the Director of the Center for Emergency Operations (COE), Juan Manuel Méndez, had to deliver the news nobody wanted to hear. They had found him.
The cuerpo de rubby perez was recovered in the early hours of April 9.
It turns out the "singing from the rubble" story might have been a mix of shock and hope. While some survivors were found by following their voices, the impact on the stage area was too severe. Rubby didn't make it. Along with him, other big names were lost, like former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel and the governor of Monte Cristi, Nelsy Cruz. It was a localized apocalypse.
Why This Hit So Hard
You've got to understand the man behind the voice. Roberto Antonio Pérez Herrera—Rubby's real name—didn't even want to be a singer at first. He wanted to be a pro baseball player.
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Life had other plans.
A car accident when he was 15 crushed his leg and his MLB dreams. He turned to the guitar to heal. He studied at the National Conservatory. He worked his way up through Wilfrido Vargas’s orchestra until he became a global force. When we talk about the cuerpo de rubby perez, we aren't just talking about a physical loss. We’re talking about the end of an era of "merengue de orquesta" that defined the 80s and 90s.
His voice was unique. It was high, powerful, and clean. He could hold notes that would make modern pop stars sweat. And he did it all with a smile that felt genuinely Dominican. Sorta like your favorite uncle who also happens to be a superstar.
The Aftermath and the Investigation
After the funeral at the Eduardo Brito National Theater—which was attended by everyone from Juan Luis Guerra to President Luis Abinader—the questions started flying.
- Why did the roof fall?
- Was the building inspected after a minor fire the previous year?
- Did the heavy rains of that week play a role?
Basically, the tragedy exposed some serious gaps in building safety in Santo Domingo. The Jet Set had been a theater 50 years ago. It wasn't built for the kind of sound systems and vibrations modern concerts put out.
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The recovery of the cuerpo de rubby perez became the catalyst for a national conversation about infrastructure. It shouldn't take losing a national treasure to check if a roof is stable, but that’s the reality we’re living in.
Moving Forward: What You Can Do
If you're looking to honor his memory, don't just dwell on the tragedy of how they found him. Rubby lived for the stage.
- Listen to the classics: Skip the news clips for a second and put on "Buscando tus besos" or "Enamorado de ella." That's where his spirit actually lives.
- Support live music safety: If you're a promoter or a venue owner, take the inspections seriously. The Jet Set tragedy was preventable.
- Share the history: Tell the younger generation who he was. He wasn't just "the guy in the accident." He was the man who took merengue to Berlin, New York, and Tokyo.
The loss of Rubby Pérez left a hole in the heart of the Caribbean. But honestly? As long as someone is whistling that bridge in "Volveré," he’s not really gone. He’s just finished his set.
To truly honor his legacy, start by exploring the full discography of his years with Wilfrido Vargas, which remains the gold standard for Latin tropical music. From there, look into the charitable foundations his family continues to support, as they work to turn this tragedy into a push for better emergency response and structural safety standards across the island.