Colombian rocker Juanes united over a million Cuban fans in the name of peace on Sunday when he defied death threats to play a concert in Havana.

The singer announced plans for the Paz Sin Fronteras (Peace Without Borders) show earlier this summer and was immediately criticized by some Cuban-Americans for the gig, claiming it endorsed the Communist-led government of Fidel and Raul Castro. Juanes, who was adamant the event had nothing to do with politics, even called in the police to guard his Florida home after he was sent threats claiming he would be killed if he stepped onstage.

The star vowed to press ahead with the free International Day of Peace concert and he turned it into a day of celebrations by adding a host of Spanish pop acts to the bill, including Miguel Bose, Victor Manuel and Luis Eduardo Aute, Puerto Rican tropical star Olga Tanon and Cuban artists Amaury Perez, X Alfonso and Los Van Van. The show went ahead without any problems as hundreds of thousands of devotees came out to show their support for Juanes, all wearing white - as requested by the star - as a symbol of peace. And the singer was overwhelmed by the turnout.

He told the crowd, "I can't believe what I am seeing with my own eyes. We came to Cuba for love. We have overcome fear to be with you and we hope that you too can overcome it. All the young people in the region, from Miami in the United States and in all the cities... should understand the importance of turning hate into love."

Juanes later added, "For me, to see more than a million people experiencing happiness, love and peace is incredibly powerful, because what happens in politics is people become divided. With music we are all the same... Music is for everybody."

Juanes' visit to Cuba drew the biggest crowds by a foreigner since a tour of the country by the late Pope John Paul II in 1998.

Image ©PR Photos

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)