Biography: Born of a Catalan father and Puerto Rican mother in the small town of Vendrell, Spain, Casals began his career performing music with his father Charles in church. One of 9 children, Casals became an international sensation due to his musical style, however with the beginning of the Spanish Civil War and Franco's eventual victory and rise in Spain, Casals self-exiled himself to Puerto Rico, where he died in 1973.