Willie Colón, architect of urban salsa music, dies at 75

Willie Colón, the Grammy-nominated architect of urban salsa music and social activist, died Saturday. He was 75.

Over his decades-long career, the trombonist, composer, arranger and singer produced more than 40 albums that sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. He collaborated with a wide range of artists, including the Fania All Stars, David Byrne and Celia Cruz.

His celebrated collaboration with Rubén Blades, “Siembra,” became one of the bestselling salsa albums of all time, and the pair were known for addressing social issues through the genre.

Colón's family and manager confirmed his death through social media posts.

“Willie didn't just change salsa; he expanded it, politicized it, clothed it in urban chronicles, and took it to stages where it hadn't been heard before,” manager Pietro Carlos wrote. “His trombone was the voice of the people, an echo of the Caribbean in New York, a bridge between two cultures.”

Colón, who was nominated for 10 Grammys and one Latin Grammy, made famous songs such as “El gran varón,” “Sin poderte hablar,” “Casanova,” “Amor verdad” and “Oh, qué será.”

Blades said on the social platform X that he confirmed “what I was reluctant to believe” and offered his condolences to Colón's family.

Born in New York’s Bronx borough, Colón was raised by his grandmother and aunt, who from a young age nurtured him with traditional Puerto Rican music and the typical rhythms of the Latin American repertoire, including Cuban son and tango.

At age 11 he ventured into the world of music, first with flute, then bugle, trumpet and finally trombone, with which he stood out in the then-nascent genre of salsa.

His interest in trombone arose after hearing Barry Rogers playing it on “Dolores,” Mon Rivera’s song with Joe Cotto.

“It sounded like an elephant, a lion ... an animal. Something so different that, as soon as I heard it, I said to myself: ‘I want to play that instrument,’” he recalled in an interview published in the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo in 2011.

At 17 he joined the group of artists that formed the famous record label Fania Records, led and created by Jerry Masucci and Johnny Pacheco. Fania was largely responsible for the new sound that was produced in the Latin world of New York and would later be called “salsa.”

Colón's main characteristic as a musician was the fusion of rhythms, as he harmonized jazz, rock, funk, soul and R&B with the old Latin school of Cuban son, cha-cha-cha, mambo and guaracha, adding the nostalgia of the traditional Puerto Rican sound that encompasses jíbara, bomba and plena music.

In 2004 the Latin Recording Academy awarded Colón a special Grammy for his career and contributions to music.

As a community leader, Colón fought for civil rights, mostly in the United States. He was part of the Hispanic Arts Association, the Latino Commission on AIDS, the Arthur Schomburg Coalition for a Better New York and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, among others.

In 1991 he was honored with the Chubb fellowship from Yale University, a public service recognition also awarded to the likes of John F. Kennedy, Moshe Dayan, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Ronald Reagan, among others.

In the political arena, he served as special assistant to David Dinkins, New York’s first Black mayor, and was later appointed special assistant and adviser to Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Colón had little luck running for public office himself, however. He failed in a challenge to then-U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel in the 1994 Democratic primary, and in 2001 came in third in the Democratic primary for New York’s public advocate.

He backed Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2008, but he told the Observer that he voted for Donald Trump in 2016.

Colón had public clashes with artists and politicians. His friendship with Blades ruptured after Colón sued for breach of contract over the 2003 concert “Siembra ... 25 years later,” held in Puerto Rico. He also sparked a controversy when he called the then-president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, “rotten” on a social network.

Colón acted in films such as “Vigilante,” “The Last Fight” and “It Could Happen to You,” and on TV in “Miami Vice” and “Demasiado Corazón.” More recently he appeared in Bad Bunny’s music video for “NuevaYol.”

He is survived by his wife and four sons.

Former Associated Press writer Sigal Ratner-Arias contributed biographical material for this obituary. AP journalist Berenice Bautista contributed.

FILE - Salsa musician Willie Colon poses for a portrait in Mexico City, March 5, 2009. Colón, considered by many to be the "architect of urban salsa," died Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. He was 75. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

FILE - Willie Colon plays the trombone while performing the song "La Murga" during a tribute concert in honor of the late salsa music pioneer Hector Lavoe in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sept. 7, 2007. Colón, considered by many to be the "architect of urban salsa," died Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. He was 75. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton, File)

FILE - Legendary salsa musician Willie Colon poses for a portrait in Mexico City, March 5, 2009. Colón, considered by many to be the "architect of urban salsa," died Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. He was 75. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

FILE - Willie Colon accepts the award for best musica afroamericana at the Lunas del Auditorio Nacional awards ceremony in Mexico City, Oct. 31, 2018. Colón, considered by many to be the "architect of urban salsa," died Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. He was 75. (AP Photo/Claudio Cruz, File)

FILE - Singer and musician Willie Colon performs at The Climate Rally, an Earth Day concert, on the National Mall in Washington, April 25, 2010. Colón, considered by many to be the "architect of urban salsa," died Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. He was 75. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is launching a new podcast that he says will begin “a new era of radical transparency in government,” according to a teaser video first obtained by The Associated Press.

The show, titled “The Secretary Kennedy Podcast,” will launch next week and feature Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine crusader who has reshaped the country’s health policy, in conversation with doctors, scientists and agency staff, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials told the AP ahead of the launch. In the teaser video, in a slick HHS-branded studio with ominous music playing in the background, Kennedy bills it as a new way to expose corruption and lies that have made Americans sick.

“We’re going to name the names of the forces that obstruct the paths to public health,” Kennedy says in the nearly 90-second clip.

Joining the Trump administration last year gave Kennedy a new platform for his views, some of which contradict the overwhelming consensus of scientists. A podcast could further elevate those ideas, and further remove HHS agencies from their long-held reputation as a “safe harbor for information,” said Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert at Georgetown University.

Administration officials say the show will help spread an important message about chronic disease and improving health to a wider audience.

“This is part of our larger strategy to bring the Make America Healthy Again message to as wide an audience as we can,” said Liam Nahill, HHS digital director.

The new communication effort from HHS comes as the department has faced a bevy of recent setbacks, including widespread criticism of its vaccine policy changes, a federal ruling last month blocking several of those moves, and resistance from key Republican senators that has kept President Donald Trump’s surgeon general pick from taking office. In that way, it could be seen as part of a rebranding strategy as the agency focuses less on vaccine efforts and more on a less contentious healthy food agenda ahead of November’s midterm elections.

The show, which has been in the works since early in the second Trump administration, also reflects Kennedy returning to a format where he has long felt at ease. He hosted his own podcast before entering office, and has appeared on dozens to share his perspectives in longform interviews.

Tyler Burger, HHS digital communications manager and the producer of the new podcast, said while Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary has a podcast, officials believe Kennedy's will be the first to be hosted by a sitting cabinet secretary.

“We’re kind of bringing podcasting into the government as an official form and arm of our messaging,” Burger said. He said the set for the show was pieced together largely with items the agency already had, and has the capacity for a total of four people to sit in conversation together.

Because podcasts are now commonly made not only on audio but video, they are regularly clipped and shared across social media platforms, giving them “massive” reach, according to Melina Much, a postdoctoral fellow for New York University's Center for Social Media and Politics.

Much said podcasts also tend to be more intimate, conversational and friendly than a traditional interview, allowing administration officials to promote themselves without facing as much pushback.

Critics suggested the show would be used to spread falsehoods. It's "just another official channel to spread misinformation that will inject more dangerous conspiracy theories into the mainstream,” said Grace Silva, spokesperson for 314 Action, a left-leaning political action committee aimed at electing scientists in Congress.

New episodes are expected to drop every other week, Burger said. Though officials wouldn't share a list of upcoming guests, Kennedy let one slip when he appeared as a guest on a recent episode of “The Bossticks.” He said he recorded an episode with Robert Irvine, the celebrity chef who has been tasked with revamping U.S. Army meals.

While Kennedy's teaser focuses on uncovering lies, HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said the show will aim to cover affordability and other topics that polls show are salient for voters.

“Americans are united on the need to urgently address chronic disease, improve nutrition, strengthen food quality, and lower health costs," he said. "The Secretary Kennedy Podcast will cover all those issues.”

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. speaks during a fireside chat with CPAC Senior Fellow Mercedes Schlapp at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriela Passos)