Menudo Miguel was born in
Chicago, Illinois as the only child of Gloria and Felix Cancel. Miguel joined Menudo as a singer in 1981, replacing
Óscar Meléndez. He was the first bilingual element on the band, and he was part of the most iconic age of the band called "the golden age" next to
Xavier Serbiá,
René Farrait,
Ricky Meléndez,
Johnny Lozada,
Charlie Massó and
Ray Reyes, collaborating in making Menudo an international sensation, with LP albums like
Fuego,
Quiero Ser,
Por Amor and
Una Aventura Llamada Menudo. He acted in the 2 movies Menudo appeared at,
Menudo: La Pelicula in 1981 and
Una Aventura Llamada Menudo in 1982, and the two mini series
Quiero Ser and
Es Por Amor next to Xavier Serbiá, Johnny Lozada, Charlie Massó, Ricky Meléndez and René Farrait, and he also appeared on the TV show,
La Gente Joven de Menudo on Telemundo PR as a member of the group. In 1983, Cancel quit drastically Menudo at the age of 15, a year before the mandatory retirement age of 16, due to his desire to live a "normal life", even as his voice was already recorded for Menudo's next album, "A Todo Rock". He was replaced by
Roy Rosselló. Cancel sang lead on various Menudo hits, including A Volar, Cuándo Pasará, Por Amor, Xanadú, Quiero Rock, Me Voy A Enamoriscar etc. Miguel entered at the start of 1981 and left at the end of 1983, an era that was part of what is the golden age of the band and the international "menuditis" era, the band becoming famous on countries like the
U.S.,
Mexico,
Peru and others
After Menudo 1980s In 1984, Cancel released his first solo recording, the pop rock single entitled "Fun Fun Fun Fun" (English/Spanish). The single was produced and written by
Doug Fieger, lead singer of
The Knack, and issued on Cancel's newly formed independent label, Miguel Enterprises.
El Reencuentro In 1998, Cancel was recruited by his ex bandmate Ray Reyes while he worked in the kitchen of a fast food restaurant in the suburbs of Los Angeles to join
El Reencuentro, a group consisting of former Menudo members. The band recorded and issued an album of previously released Menudo songs and toured throughout the world in promotion of the album.
2000s-present In 2003, Cancel became a police officer of the
Coral Gables, Florida Police Department. In December 2004, he was ejected from the back seat of a Coral Gables police van resulting in the loss of two fingers from his left hand. Cancel currently lives in
Miami, Florida, with his family. He has 4 children Sasha Cancel, Izabella Cancel, Miguel Cancel, Jr. and Mariangelik Cancel. Miguel Cancel Jr. (Miguel Cancel Gulliver) is a swimmer who has won medals in competition at the Florida High School Athletic Association level. In 2012, Cancel announced that he would again be returning to the music industry as a solo artist, his first solo effort having been in 1984. == In pop culture ==