Yarini was born into an elite family, once owners of a Matanzas sugar plantations, with his father a dentist, and his uncle a medical surgeon, in Havana.

He became known for importing prostitutes from France, and worked out of San Isidro, a barrio and red light district in Old Havana.

He was killed on November 21, 1910, by gunfire from rival French pimp Louis Lotot and his confederates, who had been waiting for him.

[8] Yarini is the subject of an upcoming dramatic film, The Prince of Old Havana, by Cuban American writer, actress and director Migdia Chinea-Varela.

[9][10] In his recent novel Decent people (Personas decentes, Tusquets, 2023), award-winning[11] Cuban writer Leonardo Padura continues his exploration of little-known episodes in 20th-century Cuban history[12][13] by devoting a leading role to Alberto Yarini within a wider plot involving contemporary history of the island and featuring his detective Mario Conde.