SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Rafael Ithier, a beloved musician and a founder of the legendary salsa band El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, whose hits have inspired Bad Bunny and other icons from the U.S. territory and beyond, has died. He was 99.
An attorney for the Ithier family, Víctor Rivera, confirmed the musician’s death to radio station WKAQ late Saturday. The cause of death wasn’t immediately clear.
“Puerto Rico has lost a giant, a man whose life was dedicated to elevating our identity through the art and rhythm that distinguishes us to the world,” said Marlese Sifre, mayor of Ponce. “Rafael Ithier Natal was not only the founder and musical director of one of our cultural pillars, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, but he was also an example of discipline, excellence, and deep love for our land.”
Ithier was a self-taught pianist, arranger, composer, music producer and orchestra conductor of what many consider was the best salsa orchestra in the world.
Born in San Juan and raised in the working-class community of Río Piedras, Ithier lost his father at 8 years old.
He embraced music at an early age, picking up the guitar at 10 years old, which he played at a corner store for tips, according to the National Foundation for Popular Culture, a local nonprofit.
By 14, he left school for economic reasons and found jobs where he could. A year later, he joined his first musical group, Conjunto Hawaiano, and learned to play the Cuban tres and the double bass. He later learned to play the piano and taught himself how to read sheet music.
In his mid-20s, Ithier joined the U.S. Army and was stationed in Korea. He later traveled to New York and formed “The Borinqueneers Mambo Kings,” named after the 65th Infantry Regiment of Puerto Rico, the renowned all-Hispanic and segregated Army unit that received medals for its service in World Wars I and II and the Korean War.
Ithier eventually moved back to Puerto Rico and joined Cortijo y Su Combo, only to nearly give up his musical career after their legendary singer, Ismael Rivera, was arrested.
Ithier planned to study law but was convinced otherwise by two Cuban brothers who helped found El Gran Combo. On the group’s opening night, in May 1962 at the Rock’n Roll Club in Bayamón, Ithier took to the piano and, “the rest is history,” according to the National Foundation for Popular Culture.
Ithier led El Gran Combo for more than half a century with his trademark smile and black mustache. He confessed to Primera Hora newspaper in a 2016 interview at 90 years old that he was “shy” about celebrations.
Ithier attributed the orchestra’s success to not just luck but to the discipline he learned while in the Army.
“I learned to be a man and to obey an order. That discipline is what I apply to my life, and what I base my life on,” he was quoted as saying.
Under him, El Gran Combo attracted so many musicians who eventually became famous that it was nicknamed “the University of Salsa.” Among the legendary singers who were part of the orchestra was Charlie Aponte, who wrote on social media that “For mi, Rafa was and will continue to be like a father.”
“He taught us and demanded responsibility, discipline and professionalism in our work; if you wanted to belong to the group, you had to meet those standards. He made us all better human beings,” Aponte wrote.
The orchestra played on five continents, issued more than 40 albums and became known for hits including “Jala Jala,” “Me Liberé,” “Y No Hago Más Ná,” and “Un Verano en Nueva York,” which inspired one of Bad Bunny ’s most popular songs, “Nuevayol.”
Salsa fans were in mourning on Sunday as news about Ithier’s death spread.
“Ithier is one of those immortals who has brought glory to our country. An exemplary man, self-taught, with a strong and frank personality, who imprinted his down-to-earth style on all his struggles, feats and exploits,” said Agustín Montañez Allman, Puerto Rico’s government advocate for veteran affairs.
Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer Colón also mourned Ithier as she announced that the island would soon hold an official mourning date.
“His legacy transcends borders and lives on through generations. Thank you so much, maestro,” she said in a statement.
Ithier leaves behind a wife and five children.
FILE - Rafael Ithier of El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico arrives at the Lifetime Achievement and Trustees Awards presentation at the Ka Theater in the MGM Grand Hotel on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Rafael Ithier of El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Lifetime Achievement and Trustees Awards presentation at the Ka Theater in the MGM Grand Hotel on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
HONG KONG (AP) — About a third of Hong Kong 's registered voters elected a new 90-member legislature Sunday, a turnout that avoided an embarrassment for the government but fell short of a ringing endorsement of an electoral system revamp that eliminated the once feisty opposition in the Chinese territory.
The turnout rate reached 31.9%, surpassing the 30.2% in the 2021 election, the first held under the new system. It was much lower than before the electoral changes, when turnout topped 50%.
Many of the city’s 4.1 million eligible voters, especially democracy supporters, have turned away from politics since a crackdown that has stifled dissent. Candidates must now go through a vetting process that ensures they are patriots who are loyal to the Chinese government. The government says the changes were needed to bring stability after massive anti-government protests in 2019.
The government launched a major campaign to drive up turnout, adding polling stations, extending voting hours and holding candidate forums. But public anger over government accountability in an apartment fire that killed at least 159 people late last month threatened to keep some potential voters at home.
In the end, enough came out to nudge up the turnout rate from 2021, the lowest since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Ahead of the vote, Chinese authorities called foreign media to a rare meeting to warn them that they need to comply with the city's national security laws.
Election campaigning was suspended after the fire and remained subdued in the final days out of respect for the victims.
Government efforts to drive up turnout, seen as a referendum on the new electoral system, had been in full swing before the blaze. Promotional banners and posters were hung throughout the city and subsidies offered to centers for older people and people with disabilities to help them vote.
Authorities arrested people who allegedly posted content that incited others not to vote or cast invalid votes.
Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades has raised questions over government oversight and suspected bid-rigging in building maintenance projects. The 1980s-era apartment complex was undergoing renovations.
Some candidates pledged to combat bid-rigging.
City leader John Lee said in a statement on Monday that holding a smooth election during a difficult period for Hong Kong “carries profound significance," saying he expected the lawmakers would work with the government to drive systemic reforms following the fire.
Even before the 2021 electoral changes, only half of what had been a 70-member legislature was chosen by the general electorate.
Now, that has been reduced to 20 out of 90 seats and 40 others are chosen by a largely pro-Beijing election committee. The remaining 30 represent various groups — mainly major industries such as finance, health care and real estate — and are elected by their members.
The “patriots” requirement for all candidates has pushed out the opposition parties, which advocated for making the system more democratic.
“I’m performing my civic duty as a citizen to vote … but I’m not too certain which candidate is hardworking and which is not,” retiree Kwan Lam said outside a polling station. “I chose the one who cares for the elderly.”
Olympic fencing champion Vivian Kong on Monday won in the tourism sector, despite lacking industry experience.
The candidate pool seems to reflect Beijing's desire to have more lawmakers who are more in tune with its agenda, some observers said, in what they see as signs of Beijing’s tightening control even over its loyalists.
Lee has said that personnel changes are normal during an election. He criticized attempts to “distort” these changes to smear the new election system.
Ho-fung Hung, professor of political economy at Johns Hopkins University, said voter turnout was far lower than the 2016 election despite the vast resources the government had mobilized to boost turnout. The actual number of people who voted was also down from 2016 due to a shrinking electorate in recent years, he said.
The fire also contributed to the low turnout, Hung said.
“But it may work toward the government’s advantage, as they can blame the tragedy for the poor performance, or even say that the not-so-drastic drop in voting number despite the fire is an achievement,” he said.
John Burns, an honorary professor of politics and public administration at the University of Hong Kong, said the election shows that the city remains polarized with pro-establishment and opposition camps. The turnout rate shows that about 60% of voters who traditionally supported the pro-democracy camp did not turn out, he said.
“The fire ... played a role because it exposed various governance problems that no resident could be happy about. This could have influenced those in either camp also to stay away," he said.
But Electoral Affairs Commission chairperson David Lok found it encouraging that 1.3 million people voted, saying the current atmosphere made holding the election difficult as many were affected by the blaze.
Beijing's office on Hong Kong affairs hailed the increase in turnout rate in a WeChat statement, saying it reflected Hong Kong society's support for the poll.
Beijing’s national security arm in Hong Kong summoned representatives of several foreign news outlets, including The Associated Press, on Saturday.
Some foreign media had spread false information and smeared the government's disaster relief efforts after the fire, as well as attacked and interfered with the legislative elections, the Office for Safeguarding National Security said in a statement.
“No media outlet may use ‘freedom of the press’ as a pretext to interfere in China’s internal affairs or Hong Kong affairs,” the statement said.
Authorities have warned the general public against using the fire to try to undermine the government and have arrested at least one person on suspicion of inciting hatred against government officials.
Moritsugu reported from Beijing. Associated Press writer Chan Ho-him in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
Gary Chan, candidates of the Legislative Council Election, center, campaigns on the street during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Gary Chan, candidates of the Legislative Council Election, center, campaigns on the street during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
People walk past a polling station near the site of the fire at Wang Fuk Court in the Tai Po district during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Hong Kong's Chief Executive, John Lee casts his ballot at a polling station during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
People read the candidates information at a polling station near the site of the fire at Wang Fuk Court in the Tai Po district during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee, poses for photos at a polling station during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee speaks to the media at a polling station during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee casts his ballot at a polling station during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
People look at a candidate brochure of the Hong Kong Legislative Council General Election at a forum in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Pedestrians walk past the banner promoting the Hong Kong Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
