Rubby Pérez Earns Posthumous Nod on Billboard Charts With Greatest Hits Album

The late Dominican Rubby Pérez singer-songwriter returns to the Billboard charts as his 2021 album, Rubby Pérez ¡Grandes Éxitos! debuts at No. 7 on the Tropical Albums chart (dated April 19). The 30-song set launches with 2,000 units equivalent album units earned in the U.S. during the April 4-10 tracking week, according to Luminate. Pérez died on April 8 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, after the roof of the Jet Set nightclub collapsed during one of his performances. He was 69.

It’s the merengue artist’s first appearance on any Billboard albums chart in over three decades. He was last on an albums chart when his self-titled set peaked at No. 15 on the Top Tropical Albums chart in 1987.

“It’s been 25 years, a lifetime together, filled with beautiful memories,” Enrique Paulino, Pérez’s international manager tells Billboard. “The most important thing for me was his humility and his outpouring of affection for his audiences.”

Out of Rubby Pérez ¡Grandes Éxitos! album’s unit sum earned in the week ending April 10,1,000 units were attributed to streaming activity. That translates to 1.6 million official on-demand streams for the set’s songs; a resurgence that comes two days after Pérez’s passing. The remaining negligible amount come from traditional album sales and track-equivalent units.

“Rubby quietly did thousands of deeds, such as buying medicine for people with cancer and various other illnesses,” Paulino adds. “He bought pets and schoolbooks for children. He was greatly loved in his country, Dominican Republic, and Venezuela. I want you to always remember him with his beautiful smile and his love for everyone.”

Pérez also achieved success on the Tropical Airplay chart, landing four entries over the years. Among them, “Tu Vas a Volar” reached a career-high at No. 9 in 2001. Most recently, Pérez collaborated with Romeo Santos, Toño Rosario and Fernandito Villalona on “15,500 Noches,” featuring Ramón Orlando, which peaked at No. 15 in 2022.

All charts (dated April 19, 2025) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, April 15. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.