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Anthony Avoids Woes That Befell Lavoe

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Oct 1, 2006 11:55 am US/Eastern

Anthony Avoids Woes That Befell Lavoe

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 1: The biopic "El Cantante," which has Anthony starring opposite his wife, Jennifer Lopez, premiered this month at the Toronto Film Festival. (File)
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As he worked his way to salsa stardom, Marc Anthony said he saw the tragic career of the Puerto Rican performer he plays in an upcoming movie as inspiration and a warning to avoid industry pitfalls.

Anthony, who kicked off a concert tour in San Juan this weekend, said he felt a personal connection to Hector Lavoe, who was credited with bringing salsa to the United States and died in 1993 at age 46 following a struggle with drug addiction.

"He painted this clear picture of what you could be if you put your mind to it, but how painful a life you could live if you made the wrong choices," he said.

The biopic "El Cantante," which has Anthony starring opposite his wife, Jennifer Lopez, premiered this month at the Toronto Film Festival. It is expected to be released in North America next year.

The film traces Lavoe's rise from the Caribbean island to stardom in New York, where the sold-out concerts and best-selling albums of the 1970s give way to drug addiction and a strained marriage in the 1980s.

Lopez, who co-produced the film, took on the project nearly five years ago when Lavoe's widow approached her with a script and asked the pop star to consider playing her role.

The husband-and-wife duo — who also collaborated on Lopez's upcoming Spanish-language album, with Anthony as the producer — were expected to appear on stage together this weekend.