The trombonist, vocalist, and writer Willie Colón, one of the most important names in New York salsa, has died this morning. He was 75 years old.

The death was confirmed by his family on his social media accounts. The cause of death was not conveyed.

Colón was born in Bronx, New York City, to Puerto Rican parents. He was one of salsa music's pioneers and has been closely associated with the scene that was formed in the 1960s around Fania Records, a Manhattan-based label created by Dominican-born producer Johnny Pacheco.

The musician started his career as a trombonist, releasing his first album, The Hustler, at 18 years old. The record also started the use of the gangster aesthetic for Colón, one he used for many decades of his career – most notably in album covers such as Lo Mato (1973) and La Gran Fuga (1970).

For this, he was known as el malo – in his hit song "Nuevayol", fellow Puerto Rican Bad Bunny sings "Willie Colón, me dicen el malo."

Colón not only played salsa, bolero, and other rhythms from the Caribbean, he took musical influence a myriad of places: Brazil's samba and bossa nova, American jazz and rock music, African percussion. This eclecticism caused Pacheco to introduce him to singer Héctor Lavoe, and he and Colón recorded many albums together. The themes of their songs often dealt with the relations between the Caribbean diaspora and their homeland.

In the letter published by his family about his death, it's stated that Colón "passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family."

Read the full statement below.