NEW YORK (AP) — Salsa idol Johnny Pacheco, who was a co-founder of Fania Records, Eddie Palmieri’s bandmate and backer of music stars such as Rubén Bladés, Willie Colón and Celia Cruz, died Monday. He was 85.
He had been hospitalized in New York a few days earlier for pneumonia, his wife, Maria Elena “Cuqui” Pacheco, said on the artist’s Facebook account.
Fania Records tweeted that the musician was “the man most responsible for the genre of salsa music. He was a visionary and his music will live on eternally.”
First Black woman to lead WTO says she will prioritize fair trade, access to Covid-19 vaccines
Singer Marc Anthony lamented the loss of Pacheco, calling him “maestro of maestros” and a good friend.
“Your sense of humor was contagious and I am forever grateful for your support, for the opportunity to be in your presence and for your amazing legacy,” Anthony wrote.
Pacheco was born March 25, 1935, in the Dominican Republic into a family of musicians. In the 1940s the family moved to New York, where he taught himself to play accordion, violin, saxophone and clarinet and studied percussion at Juilliard.
Recent Comments