Overview
- His family announced his passing on Feb. 21 in a Facebook statement, saying he died peacefully surrounded by loved ones and requesting privacy.
- The family did not share a cause of death, though days earlier fellow musician Rubén Blades said Colón had been hospitalized in New York with an apparent respiratory problem.
- Colón rose on Fania Records as a teenager, forged landmark records with Héctor Lavoe and Rubén Blades, and ultimately released more than 40 albums.
- He earned nine gold and five platinum records, multiple Grammy nominations, and lifetime honors from the Latin Recording Academy, alongside a public life in activism and the arts.
- Manager Pietro Carlos hailed him as an “architect of the New York sound,” while outlets noted his sold-out Aug. 9, 2025 concert in San Juan and artists including Bad Bunny and Marc Anthony paid tribute.