The musician, composer, and cultural promoter Mario Cepeda Brenes, recognized as “the voice of the Puerto Rican bomba”, passed away this Thursday at the age of 73, as confirmed by his family through an emotional statement released on social media.
“With deep sorrow, the Cepeda and Febres family announces the passing of our beloved father, Mario Cepeda. Today his voice rises to heaven to continue singing bomba, while the sound of his maracas and the echo of his legacy will remain alive in every drum, in every song, and in the heart of our people,” the family expressed.
Mario Cepeda was one of the most influential figures in the preservation and dissemination of Puerto Rican bomba, a musical genre with deep Afro-Caribbean roots. In addition to his artistic career, he was the father of Mario and Rafael Cepeda, the latter widely known for his work as a bomba dancer and for his collaborations with urban artists Rauw Alejandro and Bad Bunny, which helped project this traditional rhythm to new generations.
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Son of the legendary practitioners Rafael Cepeda and Caridad Brenes, Mario was born into one of the most important families in the history of Puerto Rican bomba. The Cepeda family played a fundamental role in the preservation and transmission of the cultural legacy of this genre, which originated in the San Mateo de Cangrejos area of Puerto Rico.
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Throughout his life, Mario Cepeda dedicated his talent to keeping the tradition of bomba alive, becoming a benchmark of Puerto Rican folk music and a tireless defender of the island’s cultural identity.
His passing has generated multiple expressions of grief among artists, cultural managers, and followers of traditional music, who highlight the invaluable legacy he leaves for future generations.
