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Latino hip-hop and Reggaeton artist Daddy Yankee was named Songwriter of the Year at the 14th Annual ASCAP Latin Music Awards held last night (March 7) at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, CA.

"Lo Que Pasó Pasó" by Daddy Yankee was named Latin Song of the Year, and Publisher of the Year honors went to Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Gifted poet, activist and singer-songwriter Ricardo Arjona was honored with the prestigious ASCAP Latin Heritage Award for his important contributions to Latin music. The awards celebration honored the songwriters and publishers of ASCAP's most performed songs in Latin Music in 2005.

Co-hosted by ASCAP President and Chairman Marilyn Bergman and actress Maria Conchita Alonso, the black-tie gala is one of the most attended and celebrated events in the Latin entertainment community.

Among the honorees, performers and luminaries present were Ricardo Arjona, Aventura, Obie Bermudez, Latino rap artist Chingo Bling, Desmond Child, Daddy Yankee, Del Castillo, Amaury Gutiérrez, Enrique "Fato" Guzman, Natalia Jiménez (La 5ta Estación), Kool Aid, Latino hip-hop rap sensation Lil Rob, Esai Morales, actress Elsa Pataki, Jennifer Peña, Michael Salgado, Anthony Santos, and Olga Tañón.

Daddy Yankee was named Songwriter of the Year for penning nine award-winning songs -- "Gasolina," "Intro," "Lo Que Pasó Pasó," "Mayor Que Yo," "Mira Me, No Me Dejes Solo," "Oye Mi Canto," "Rompe," and "Yo Voy." The reggaeton superstar also picked up awards for Latin Song of the Year for "Lo Que Pasó Pasó," and Urban Song of the Year for "Mayor Que Yo," both published by Cangris Publishing.

One of the highlights of the evening was the special presentation of the ASCAP Latin Heritage Award to Ricardo Arjona by Marilyn Bergman. This is one of the most prestigious honors that the Society bestows upon its members, and was given to Arjona for his important contributions to Latin music. During the presentation, Bergman described Arjona as "a poet, storyteller and a powerful songwriter, whose beautiful and socially conscious songs enrich the world of Latin music." Past recipients include Antonio Aguilar, Celia Cruz, José Feliciano, Ednita Nazario, Arturo Sandoval, Gilberto Santa Rosa and Olga Tañón.

ASCAP CEO John LoFrumento and ASCAP Senior Vice President, Membership Group-Latin Alexandra Lioutikoff presented the Publisher of the Year award to Sony/ATV Music Publishing for their 27 award-winning songs. This is the seventh time that Sony has received this honor.

Other top honors included: Rock Song of the Year -- "Algo Más," written by Armando Avila (SACM) and Natalia Jiménez Sarmiento (SGAE), published by EMI April Music; Regional Mexican Song of the Year -- "El Autobús," written by Enrique "Fato" Guzmán (SACM), published by Vander Music; Tropical Song of the Year -- "Hasta el Fin," written by Bienvenido Morillo, published by Juan & Nelson Publishing; and tying in the Pop/Ballad Song of the Year category were "Me Dediqué A Perderte," written by Leonel García, published by Sony/ATV Discos Music Publishing, and "Porque Es Tan Cruel El Amor," written by Ricardo Arjona, published by Nueva Era Musical and Sony/ATV Discos Music Publishing.

In the Television category, the Top Rated Theme Song for Soap Opera was "Viveme" from LA MADRASTRA, written by Biaggio Antonacci (SIAE), Ignacio Díaz Ballesteros (SGAE), and Laura Pausini (SIAE), published by Basta Edioni Musicali (SIAE), and WB Music Corp. For the second consecutive year, the Top Rated Theme Song for TV Variety was "Don Francisco Presenta," written by Gerardo Flores and published by Nuestro Music.

For the complete list of winners, please visit www.ascap.com .

Visit Daddy Yankee’s web site at http://www.daddyyankee.com/