Death in New York of salsa legend Johnny Pacheco

The legendary musician Johnny Pacheco, considered one of the fathers of salsa, died this Monday in New York at the age of 85, his family announced.

Musician, composer and producer, Johnny Pacheco, born in 1935 in the Dominican Republic, was the founder of the record label Fania Records and the historic group Fania All-Stars, through which salsa icons such as Celia Cruz, Hector Lavos and Willie Colon have passed.

« With great pain in my soul and a great emptiness in my heart, I announce that Maestro Johnny Pacheco died today in peace. A thousand thanks for your prayers and for all the love you always gave him, » said his wife, Cuqui Pacheco, in a statement published on behalf of the family on the artist’s official Facebook account.

The musician had been rushed to hospital a few days ago for pneumonia.

Born on March 25, 1935 in the Dominican city of Santiago de los Caballeros, Juan Azarias Pacheco, who later became Johnny Pacheco, arrived in New York with his family as a child.

After studying music at the famous Juilliard School in New York, he began his career in the 1950s and became famous with the orchestra Pacheco y su Charanga.

In 1964 he founded Fania Records with the lawyer Gerald « Jerry » Masucci.

« Rest in peace, my dear friend and master, » Willie Colon tweeted.

« El pheasant » and « Quitate tu » are two of the more than one hundred songs that Johnny Pacheco has recorded or composed.