{"id":24090,"date":"2026-02-22T11:00:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T11:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=24090"},"modified":"2026-02-22T11:00:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T11:00:11","slug":"one-of-the-legends-bad-bunny-joins-tributes-to-us-salsa-pioneer-willie-colon-us-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=24090","title":{"rendered":"\u2018One of the legends\u2019: Bad Bunny joins tributes to US salsa pioneer Willie Col\u00f3n | US news"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

Tributes have poured in from stars including Bad Bunny<\/a> for Willie Col\u00f3n, the pioneering trombonist, vocalist and composer who died on Saturday aged 75.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The cause of death was not disclosed.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\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 for ever.<\/p>\n

\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<\/p>\n

At a concert in S\u00e3o Paulo, the Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny<\/a> spoke of Col\u00f3n\u2019s sweeping influence on Caribbean music.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, one of the legends who contributed to this beautiful and legendary genre passed away,\u201d he said in Spanish in a fan-captured video on Instagram<\/a>, reported by Billboard<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, on behalf of myself and Los Sobrinos, we wish Willie Col\u00f3n peace<\/a>,\u201d he said, referring to his own band.<\/p>\n

\u201cMuch strength to his family. The inspiration of so many of these great musicians who left their mark on this earth will never die as long as there are talented young people like those here, keeping the music, salsa and all Caribbean rhythms alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Bad Bunny on stage in S\u00e3o Paulo.<\/span> Photograph: Jorge Silva\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The salsa singer and songwriter Jerry Rivera paid his respects on Instagram<\/a>, calling Col\u00f3n \u201ca Puerto Rican giant who turned the trombone into a flag and the neighbourhood into a symphony\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWillie helped write eternal chapters of salsa. His sound was both streetwise and elegant, pure flavour with conscience, carrying the voice of the people from New York to the whole world,\u201d Rivera said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than a musician, he was an architect of the salsa movement, a visionary friend who gave identity and pride to our Latin culture. His legacy lives on in every tumbao, in every chorus sung with soul, and in every generation that continues to walk his path.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Pietro Carlos, his longtime manager, wrote on Facebook: \u201cWillie didn\u2019t just change salsa. He 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<\/p>\n

The performer\u2019s list of genre-defining songs includes Ch\u00e9 Ch\u00e9 Col\u00e9 and Aguanile, recorded with H\u00e9ctor Lavoe on vocals.<\/p>\n

His 1978 album Siembra, recorded with Rub\u00e9n Blades, includes the hit Pedro Navaja and remains the biggest-selling salsa album of all time.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\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.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis music declared identity, pride, resistance and joy. His music was not just heard; it was lived.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis legacy is etched into the very soul of Latin culture. He will forever be \u2018El Maestro\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n