Daddy Yankee Honored as Person of the Year at the Latin Recording Academy Gala

By Miles Carter, November 12, 2026

The Latin Recording Academy honored Daddy Yankee as its 2026 Person of the Year at a private gala in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Nov 11. The Academy's official awards calendar lists Person of the Year on that date. In an April announcement, the Academy said it would honor Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez, known as Daddy Yankee, for his career as a singer, songwriter, and performer, as well as for his humanitarian work.

What Billboard reported from the gala

Billboard recapped the invite-only event as taking place at the MGM Grand Marquee Ballroom and running more than three hours, with artists performing songs from Yankee's catalog. Billboard quoted Yankee telling the room, "Never in my life have I felt an emotion as powerful as the one I felt today." He also said, according to that report, "As I was enjoying the moment and reflecting, I could hardly believe everything I had built."

The official announcement in April said the tribute would feature renditions of his repertoire by international artists and close friends. The 27th Annual Latin Grammy Awards are listed on the same calendar for Nov 12.