{"id":201208,"date":"2026-02-22T05:36:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T05:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/us-salsa-legend-willie-colon-vocalist-trombonist-and-composer-dies-aged-75-the-guardian\/"},"modified":"2026-02-22T05:36:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T05:36:11","slug":"us-salsa-legend-willie-colon-vocalist-trombonist-and-composer-dies-aged-75-the-guardian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/us-salsa-legend-willie-colon-vocalist-trombonist-and-composer-dies-aged-75-the-guardian\/","title":{"rendered":"US salsa legend Willie Col\u00f3n, vocalist, trombonist and composer, dies aged 75 – The Guardian"},"content":{"rendered":"

Col\u00f3n\u2019s music combined jazz, rock and salsa, incorporating rhythms from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Brazil and Africa
Willie Col\u00f3n, the pioneering trombonist, vocalist and composer, died on Saturday aged 75, his family has said.
With more than 30m albums sold, multiple platinum records and 11 combined Grammy and Latin Grammy nominations, Col\u00f3n is among the most successful salsa artists of all time.
The cause of death was not disclosed.
The family said on Col\u00f3n\u2019s Facebook page: \u201cIt is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, and renowned musician, Willie Col\u00f3n. He passed away peacefully this morning surrounded by his beloved family.
\u201cWhile we grieve his absence, we also rejoice in the timeless gift of his music and the cherished memories he created that will live on forever.
\u201cOur family is deeply grateful for your prayers and support during this time of mourning. We kindly ask for privacy as we navigate our grief.\u201d
Born in the Bronx to Puerto Rican parents, Col\u00f3n recorded dozens of albums, including La Gran Fuga (The Big Break) in 1970 and El Juicio in 1972.
He signed with Fania Records, a label that promoted salsa music, aged 15. Two years later, in 1967, he released his first album, El Malo, which has sold more than 300,000 copies, according to his biography on the LA Philharmonic website.
Col\u00f3n\u2019s music combined elements of jazz, rock and salsa, incorporating the rhythms of traditional music from Cuba, Puerto Rico<\/a>, Brazil and Africa.
Pietro Carlos, his longtime manager, wrote on Facebook: \u201cWillie didn\u2019t just change salsa.
\u201cHe expanded it, politicized it, clothed it in urban chronicles and took it to stages where it hadn\u2019t been before. His trombone was the voice of the people.\u201d
The performer\u2019s list of genre-defining songs includes Ch\u00e9 Ch\u00e9 Col\u00e9 and Aguanile, recorded with H\u00e9ctor Lavoe on vocals.
His 1978 album Siembra, recorded with Rub\u00e9n Blades, includes the hit Pedro Navaja and remains the biggest-selling salsa album of all time.
Fania Records said in a statement: \u201cToday we bow our heads as the world mourns the loss of one of the greatest artists of our time \u2013 the incomparable Willie Col\u00f3n: legendary trombonist, visionary composer, master arranger, emotive singer, bold producer, fearless director and tireless innovator.
\u201cWe are heartbroken by the passing of an icon whose sound transcended the dancefloor and defined an era. A pillar of Fania Records, Willie helped bring Latin music from the streets of New York to audiences around the world.
\u201cHis music declared identity, pride, resistance and joy. His music was not just heard; it was lived.\u201d
Bruce McIntosh, VP of Craft Recordings\u2019 Latin catalogue, said: \u201cWillie was much more than an iconic artist; he was a true visionary that forged a new genre of Latin music that we all love today called salsa.
\u201cHis legacy is etched into the very soul of Latin culture. He will forever be \u2018El Maestro\u2019.\u201d
In 2004, Col\u00f3n received a lifetime achievement award from the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Billboard magazine named the musician as one of the 30 most influential Latin artists of all time in 2015.
He was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019.<\/p>\n

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Col\u00f3n\u2019s music combined jazz, rock and salsa, incorporating rhythms from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Brazil and AfricaWillie Col\u00f3n, the pioneering trombonist, vocalist and composer, died on Saturday aged 75, his family has said.With more than 30m albums sold, multiple platinum records and 11 combined Grammy and Latin Grammy nominations, Col\u00f3n is among the most successful salsa […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":201209,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-201208","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-us","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201208"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201208\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/201209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}