Willie Colón, a titan of salsa music, passed away on February 21, 2026. Despite everything, my admiration for Willie and my respect for his work will never fade, and I will never allow hatred to become part of our past relationship.
This is the aspect I consider important to highlight: the providential union of two young musicians, one from New York via Puerto Rico and the other from Panama, who managed to present and consolidate in salsa songs messages of unity and possibilities, of truths, solidarity, and hopes to the entire world, receiving massive popular support, especially in Spanish-speaking countries.
I remember when we finished the set, Willie defended me when the promoter and his offended attendees confronted me over what I had said.
"Rest in peace, Willie Colón, and I repeat what I always say: thank you, Willie! You are not dead, compadre. It was my fortune to find a musician with the necessary intelligence to understand the pan-American sense of my compositions and give them the opportunity to be heard internationally through his orchestra."
Willie is gone, but only physically. His extraordinary legacy will continue to live on through people who love music and dance, appreciate the strength, vitality, and taste in the musical arrangements of the salsa genre, and identify with the lyrics of urban songs that detail and document, in a simple or complex way, realities and experiences shared throughout our America.
