Family, friends, and fans will gather in New York to pay tribute to Willie Colón, the Grammy-nominated architect of urban salsa music and social activist who died at 75.
A public funeral Mass will be held at St. Patrick's Cathedral in midtown Manhattan, following a weekend of private and public visitations. His burial will be private.
The trombonist, composer, arranger, and singer produced more than 40 albums that sold over 30 million copies worldwide and collaborated with artists like the Fania All Stars, David Byrne, and Celia Cruz.
Colón was nominated for 10 Grammys and one Latin Grammy and was known for songs including 'El gran varón,' 'Sin poderte hablar,' 'Casanova,' 'Amor verdad,' and 'Oh, qué será.'
He was a community leader who fought for civil rights and served as a special assistant to New York City Mayors David Dinkins and Michael Bloomberg.
