Oscar Neftalí Sallaberry Valls (Nefty, born March 1, 1964 in Ponce,

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

) and Fernando Ramón Sallaberry Valls (born November 25, 1965 in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

), are Puerto Rican singers and actors who were part of the original lineup of the band Menudo. Nefti and Fernando are the sons of Santiago Sallaberry, a doctor in oncology.

Nefty

Nefty started with Menudo at age 13, and stayed in the group until he was 15. Nefty graduated in 1986 from

Marquette University Marquette University () is a private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Martin Henni, the first Bishop of the diocese of M ...

Computer Sciences Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (including ...

. He is an Information Technology Officer (ITO) in a company in

Fernando

Fernando started in Menudo at age 12, and was one of the primary voices in the group until he left at age 15. He sang lead vocal on ''Chiquitita'', which became one of Menudo's biggest hits. After he left the group, Fernando became popular as a soloist in

and in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

. He suffers from

Neuromuscular disease A neuromuscular disease is any disease affecting the peripheral nervous system (PNS), the neuromuscular junction, or skeletal muscle, all of which are components of the motor unit. Damage to any of these structures can cause muscle atrophy and wea ...

, a rare condition that has no cure. It is difficult for him to move, and he has needed his family's assistance for the last few years. He continues to gain strength and movement, but is confined to a wheel chair.

XCHANGE

In 1987, 4 of the original 5 Menudo members, Carlos & Ricky Melendez, and Nefty and Fernando Sallaberry reunited on a project they called: XCHANGE. There was some publicity and they recorded a few demos (EP) but were not offered a recording contract. They soon disbanded.

In pop culture

Fernando and Nefty are played by Guisseppe Miguel Agrelot and by Fabricio Andres Broda Braida, respectively, in the 2020 Amazon Prime Video series based on Menudo, " Subete A Mi Moto".

Discography

With Menudo (Nefty Sallaberry)

* ''Los Fantasmas'' (1977) * ''Laura'' (1978)

With Menudo (Fernando Sallaberry)

* ''Los Fantasmas'' (1977) * ''Laura'' (1978) * ''

Chiquitita "Chiquitita" (a Spanish term of endearment for a woman meaning "little one") is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in January 1979 as the first single from the group's sixth album, '' Voulez-Vous'' (1979). Agnetha Fält ...

'' (1979) * ''Felicidades'' (1979) * ''Mas Mucho Mas'' (1980)