LIMA, Peru – The trombonist, composer and producer of Puerto Rican origin Willie Colón died at the age of 75 this Saturday after being emergency hospitalized due to respiratory complications, his family reported.
The musician, known as “El Malo del Bronx” and considered one of the fundamental figures of salsa, died in a New York hospital surrounded by his family, according to a statement. spread on social networks.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father and renowned musician, Willie Colón. He departed peacefully this morning, surrounded by his loving family. While we mourn his absence, we also rejoice in the eternal gift of his music and the cherished memories he created, which will live forever,” the post reads.
“Our family is deeply grateful for your prayers and support during this time of grief. We kindly ask for privacy as we navigate our grief,” the text highlights.
Colón had been admitted to a medical center in Bronxville on February 18, which generated concern in the musical field and prompted messages of support from artists and followers.
Among those who reacted were fellow salsa singer Bobby Valentín, who asked for prayers for his recovery, and singer Rubén Blades, with whom Colón had a historic musical collaboration.
Throughout his career, Colón amassed an extraordinary recording record with more than 32 albums, obtaining nine Gold Records and five Platinum Records. The musician was nominated eight times for the Grammy Awards in the tropical category and acted in film and television, being part of well-known productions such as “Salsa”, “Miami Vice” and the soap opera “La intrusa”.
Cubans also remember him for his frontal and critical stance against the dictatorships of the hemisphere and the lack of freedoms on the Island and Venezuela, a country where he lived for a time and fondly remembers for being the first place that accepted him as a soloist.
In 2013, the emblematic instrumentalist openly declared that he did not plan to perform in Cuba while the Castro brothers were in power, that he could even have performed in Venezuela and take bags of money from there, as other colleagues in music have done. “I resolved not to play in Venezuela as long as there is no democracy,” said the salsa singer.
Venezuela, he then recalled, is a strategic country due to its large oil reserves and the entire world is in the spotlight, especially in Latin America. It is not fair, said Colón, that this great country bleeds itself dry by supplying its immense natural wealth to the ALBA countries.
Willie Colón’s most controversial tweet about the South American country’s crisis was this: “Venezuela has two presidents, one mature and one rotten,” although its author explained that at no time did he try to bother Venezuela, but that his intention was in line with the real situation in that country.
