Willie Colón, Salsa Music's Architect, Dies at 75

Willie Colón, the Grammy-shortlisted designerof urban salsa musicA social activist passed away on Saturday. He was 75 years old.

Throughout his long career, the trombonist, composer, arranger, and vocalist released over 40 albums that have sold more than 30 million copies globally. He worked with a diverse array of musicians,including the Fania All Stars, David Byrne and Celia Cruz.

His renowned partnership with Rubén Blades, "Siembra," emerged as one of the top-selling salsa albums ever, with the duo recognized for tackling societal matters through the music.

The family and agent of Colón verified his passing via social media updates.

Willie didn't merely transform salsa; he broadened its scope, infused it with political themes, wrapped it in stories of city life, and brought it to stages where it had never been performed before," manager Pietro Carlos stated. "His trombone served as the voice of the people, a reflection of the Caribbean in New York, a link between two cultures.

Colón, who received 10 Grammy nominations and one Latin Grammy, is known for hits like "El gran varón," "Sin poderte hablar," "Casanova," "Amor verdad," and "Oh, qué será."

Blades stated on the social media site X that he verified "what I was hesitant to accept" and extended his sympathies to Colón's family.

The journey toward the trombone - and celebrity

Born in the Bronx neighborhood of New York, Colón was raised by his grandmother and aunt, who introduced him to traditional Puerto Rican music and the common rhythms of Latin American music, such as Cuban son and tango, from an early age.

At the age of 11, he entered the world of music, starting with the flute, followed by the bugle, trumpet, and ultimately the trombone, where he distinguished himself in the emerging genre of salsa.

His fascination with the trombone began after he heard Barry Rogers perform it on "Dolores," a song by Mon Rivera featuring Joe Cotto.

"It sounded like an elephant, a lion... an animal. Something so unique that, as soon as I heard it, I thought to myself: 'I want to play that instrument,'" he remembered during an interview featured in the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo in 2011.

At age 17, he became part of the group of artists that established the renowned record label Fania Records, which was led and founded by Jerry Masucci.and Johnny PachecoFania played a major role in creating the new sound that emerged in the Latin community of New York and would eventually be known as "salsa."

The key trait of Colón as a musician was blending different rhythms, as he combined jazz, rock, funk, soul, and R&B with the traditional Cuban styles of son, cha-cha-cha, mambo, and guaracha, while incorporating the sentimentality of classic Puerto Rican music such as jíbara, bomba, and plena.

In 2004, the Latin Grammy Awards honored Colón with a special Grammy in recognition of his career and his impact on music.

Community leader and activist

As a community leader, Colón advocated for civil rights, primarily in the United States. He was involved with the Hispanic Arts Association, the Latino Commission on AIDS, the Arthur Schomburg Coalition for a Better New York, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, along with other organizations.

In 1991, he received the Chubb fellowship from Yale University, a public service award also given to individuals such as John F. Kennedy, Moshe Dayan,the Rev. Jesse Jacksonand Ronald Reagan, along with others.

Within the political sphere, he worked as a special assistant to David Dinkins, the first Black mayor of New York, and subsequently held the role of special assistant and advisor to Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Colón did not have much success when running for public office. He was unsuccessful in challenging U.S. Representative Eliot Engel during the 1994 Democratic primary and finished third in the Democratic primary for New York's public advocate in 2001.

He supported Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2008, yet he informed the Observer that he cast his vote for Donald Trump in 2016.

Colón had public conflicts with artists and political figures. His relationship with Blades ended after Colón filed a lawsuit for breach of contract regarding the 2003 event "Siembra ... 25 years later," which took place in Puerto Rico. He also caused a stir when he labeled the then-Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, as "rotten" on a social media platform.

Colón starred in movies including "Vigilante," "The Last Fight," and "It Could Happen to You," and appeared on television in "Miami Vice" and "Demasiado Corazón." In more recent times, he was featured in Bad Bunny's music video for "NuevaYol."

He is survived by his wife and four sons.

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A former writer for the Associated Press, Sigal Ratner-Arias, provided biographical information for this obituary. AP reporter Berenice Bautista also contributed.