Panama.- From politicians to Panamanian musicians, including singer-songwriter Rubén Blades with whom he formed one of the great duos of the genre, lamented this Saturday the death of the emblematic salsa singer Willie Colón, who maintained a close relationship with the Central American country from the beginning.
The renowned composer Omar Alfano, who composed the successful song ‘El Gran Varón’ for Colón in 1989, dedicated a few words to the deceased salsa singer: “The departure of the Great Maestro Willie Colón is sad news for the world of music, which, without a doubt, could be said to have had one of its pillars in him“.
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His arrangements, his songs, his trombone and his unmistakable voice, full of the neighborhood, cheered us up for many decades to the point that talking about salsa without mentioning his name is a sin“, continues Alfano’s message where he thanks for the joint song.
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No one but him could imprint that vocal mysticism that made her immortal. May God have him in his glory and give him eternal peace. Today there is salsa in heaven because ‘El Malote’ arrived“, concludes the text along with photos of their last meeting in Panama.
For his part, the current Minister of Environment of Panama and former mayor of Panama City (1999-2004), Juan Carlos Navarro, said that “
my friend Willie Colón, the trombone master who made us dance and feel with salsa that reached the soul, the spirit and the brain, has passed away“.
He recalled that: “In December 2005, I had the honor of giving him the keys to the City of Panama, for his contributions to Latin music and his ties to our country. When he hugged me to thank me, he told me what we all knew: that Panama was his second home. Rest in peace, maestro“.
William Anthony Colón Román, better known as Willie Colón, died at the age of 75, in a New York hospital, according to his family this Saturday. Born on April 28, 1950, in the New York City borough of the Bronx, he was the interpreter of iconic salsa songs such as ‘Idilio’, ‘Gitana’ or ‘El Gran
Varón‘.
