Overview
- Fernández died on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at age 88, according to relatives, after a prolonged decline in health.
- He had retired from performing around 2014 and, according to reports, was living in a care facility in fragile condition.
- A prodigy who began working professionally in his teens, he played with The Georgian’s Jazz Band and Gato Barbieri’s quintet.
- He collaborated with Ray Charles, Dizzy Gillespie, Chick Corea, Paquito D’Rivera, Arturo Sandoval and the Marsalis brothers, earning the nicknames “Golden Sound” and “Mr. Chops,” and was dubbed by Astor Piazzolla “the Troilo of the trumpet.”
- His legacy includes acclaimed recordings often released on Melopea, a Konex de Platino award, extensive teaching, close ties to the Santa Fe Jazz Festival and Trombonanza, and a 2018 documentary by Raúl Beceyro.