Background and career
William Omar Landrón Rivera(born 10 February 1978) known professionally as Don Omar, is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Dubbed the "King of Reggaeton" by music critics and fans alike, he has also been recognized by Billboard and Rolling Stone as a reggaeton legend. He is often cited as an influence by other Hispanic urban performers. Landrón was born in Santurce, a neighborhood of San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is one of the artists credited with presenting reggaeton to audiences around the world and having turned the musical genre into a global phenomenon. He jumped to stardom with the release of his first studio album, The Last Don, released in 2003. The album sold 411,000 units in the United States and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Since then, he has sold around 70 million records, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists, having sold 100 billion units.
On September 1, 2017, after a long musical career he announced that he would retire after a series of concerts at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in Puerto Rico, scheduled to be held on December 15, 16 and 17. However, he returned to music on April 20, 2019, with his song single "Ramayama" featuring Farruko. During his career, Don Omar earned numerous accolades, including two Latin Grammy Awards, one Billboard Music Awards, seventeen Billboard Latin Music Awards, three Lo Nuestro Awards, eight Viña del Mar International Song Festival Awards, among others. Don Omar has also portrayed Rico Santos in four films in the Fast & Furious franchise. He first played the character in 2009's Fast & Furious and then returned for Fast Five (2011), The Fate of the Furious (2017) and F9 (2021).
Don Omar was born on 10 February 1978 in Santurce, a neighborhood of San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he was raised, the oldest son of William Landrón and Luz Antonia Rivera. From an early age, he showed interest in the music of Vico C and Brewley MC. During his youth, he became an active member of a Protestant church, Iglesia Evangélica Restauración en Cristo in Bayamón where he occasionally offered sermons. However, after four years, he left the church to dedicate himself to singing.
His first public performance in a night club was accompanied by disc jockey Eliel Lind Osorio. Afterwards, he appeared regularly on compilation albums from popular DJs and producers including Luny Tunes, Noriega, and DJ Eric. He also worked as a backup singer for the duo Héctor & Tito. One of the members, Héctor el Father, helped him produce his first solo album. Omar's career rose to stardom with the release of his first studio album, The Last Don with Frankie Needles. Both the studio version and its live edition have been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Worldwide, The Last Don: Live [CD & DVD] has sold over one million copies, according to his official website. He earned awards for Latin Pop Album of the Year and New Artist & Latin Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year by the Billboard Latin Music Awards in 2003. The Last Don: Live [CD & DVD] was also nominated for Urban Music Album at the 2005 Latin Grammy Awards.
How Don Omar makes money
Don Omar has also portrayed Rico Santos in four films in the Fast & Furious franchise.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth, in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
