NEW YORK — Willie Colón, a beloved Nuyorican musician and a legend in the salsa scene both in New York City and around the world, has died, his family announced Saturday. He was 75 years old.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father and renowned musician, Willie Colón,” read a statement released on social media.

“He departed peacefully this morning, surrounded by his loving family,” it continued. “While 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.”

While no cause of death was given, Colón was reportedly hospitalized earlier this week with respiratory problems among other medical complications, according to Colombia One.

The salsa sensation was born on April 28, 1950, in the South Bronx of New York City. The music he would go on to make was heavily influenced by his grandmother, who taught him to speak Spanish and instilled in him a love of the family’s Puerto Rican culture.

He took to music fairly early in life, picking up the trumpet at an early age before eventually finding his love for the trombone.

At just 15, he signed with Fania Records and a year later released his debut album, 1967’s “El Malo,” alongside Héctor Lavoe, which sold more than 300,000 copies.

Colón followed up his initial success with the seminal track “Che Ché Colé” in 1969, the Christmas album “Asalto Navideño” in 1971, and then “El Baquiné de los Angelitos Negros,” a ballet set to salsa music.

From there, he launched his own singing and producing career, putting out two solo albums: “The Good, the Bad, the Ugly” in 1975 and “Solo” in 1979.

His visionary blending of traditional salsa with elements of jazz, rock and funk drove a definitive transformation of the genre, and propelled Latin music in the ’70s and ’80s. Colón’s discography eventually included more than 40 albums and 16 LPs.

Over the course of his nearly 60-year career, Colón was nominated for 10 Grammy Awards, including eight in the tropical Latin category, and has sold more than 8 million records worldwide.

He was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2000, received a lifetime achievement award from the Latin Recording Academy in 2004, and was inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019.

“Today, we’ve lost an architect of the New York sound, a trombonist who made metal his banner and wrote eternal chapters in our musical history,” Colón’s manager, Pietro Carlos, said in post on Saturday.

“Willie didn’t just change salsa; he expanded it, politicized it, clothed it in urban chronicles and took it to stages where it hadn’t been heard before,” Carlos continued. “His trombone was the voice of the people, an echo of the Caribbean in New York, a bridge between cultures.”

In addition to revolutionizing the salsa movement, Colón also strived to change his community as an activist, advocating for social justice in New York’s Latin neighborhoods.

Between 1989 and 1993, he worked as a special assistant and spokesperson for New York City Mayor David Dinkins. He also served as Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s representative adviser and liaison to the Latin Media and Entertainment Commission for more than decade.

In 1994, Colón unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Eliot Engel for the Democratic party primary for the 17th congressional district, marking his first bid for public office. He also later ran for New York City public advocate in 2001.

While working both on stage and in the community, the bandleader also made appearances in a range of film and television productions, including “Vigilante,” “The Last Fight,” “Miami Vice” and “It Could Happen to You.”

Last year, he popped up as a party guest in the music video for Bad Bunny’s “Nuevayol.”

According to NBC 4 New York, Colón’s last performance was on Aug. 9, 2025, during a sold-out concert in San Juan with the Puerto Rico Philharmonic Orchestra.

Colón is survived by his partner, Julia, and his four children: William, Alejandro Liberty, Adam Diego and Patrick.

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