Salsa idol Johnny Pacheco, who was co-founder of Fania Records, Eddie Palmieri’s bandmate and sponsor of music stars such as Rubén Bladés, Willie Colón and Celia Cruz, died Monday. He was 85 years old.
He had been hospitalized in New York a few days earlier for pneumonia, said his wife, Maria Elena “Cuqui” Pacheco, on the artist’s Facebook account.
Fania Records tweeted that the musician was “most responsible for the salsa genre. He was a visionary and his music will live forever. “
In a post on his social networks, Blades said that “Pacheco leaves us with an important musical legacy, represented by all the collaborations he has made throughout his illustrious career”.
Singer Marc Anthony lamented the loss of Pacheco, calling him “conductor of conductors” and a good friend.
“His sense of humor was contagious and I am forever grateful for his support, for the opportunity to be in his presence and for his incredible legacy,” wrote Anthony.
Pacheco was born on March 25, 1935, in the Dominican Republic to a family of musicians. In the 1940s the family moved to New York, where he taught himself to play the accordion, violin, saxophone and clarinet and studied percussion at Juilliard.
In 1954, he formed The Chuchulecos Boys with Palmieri on the piano, Barry Rogers on the trombone and other musicians who would later gain fame in the salsa scene, such as Al Santiago, Mike Collazo and Ray Santos.
But the life-changing moment came in 1963, when Pacheco partnered with attorney Jerry Masucci to found Fania Records.
Pacheco was the music director, composer, arranger and producer, overseeing the label’s musical genre that became known as salsa – a mix of Cuban mambo, guaracha and chachachá, Puerto Rican rhythms and Dominican meringue. He received the Musical Excellence Award from the Latin Recording Academy in 2005 and was nominated for several Grammys and Latin Grammys.
“His music and legacy will last forever and continue to inspire music creators around the world,” said Gabriel Abaroa Jr., president and CEO of the Latin Recording Academy, in a statement.
Pacheco leaves his wife and four children.