The world lost a music icon this week with the passing of Willie Colón, who died on February 21st, 2026, at age 75. Starting with his debut album in 1967, the Bronx-born trombonist, bandleader, and composer was a major influence on salsa beyond his native New York City.
“Willie didn’t just change salsa; he expanded it, politicized it, clothed it in urban chronicles, and took it to stages where it hadn’t been heard before,” his manager Pietro Carlo wrote on Facebook in announcing his death. “His trombone was the voice of the people, an echo of the Caribbean in New York, a bridge between cultures.”
His influence is still felt today. Superstar Bad Bunny stopped his concert in Sao Paolo, Brazil, to pay tribute to the master, wishing strength to his family and saying his “mark on this earth will never die” as long as young people keep the music alive.
Colón got his start on trumpet before becoming enamored with the trombone after hearing Mon Rivera’s all-trombone brass lineup. “It would knock my socks off,” he told the Associated Press in 1988.
His self-taught trombone skills were still rough around the edges. In a bio, his former record label, Fania, explains that more seasoned musicians gave him the nickname “El Malo” on account of his limited range on the instrument. However, he focused on making what range he had count and created a signature aggressive trombone tone.
From his debut album onward, Colón eschewed the refined mambo sounds and orchestral timbres of the past. He enlisted Puerto Rican singer Héctor Lavoe, and the two quickly bonded over the struggles of the city.
“We got together and just started with the same kind of irreverent, rebellious attitude, writing songs about the baddest guy on the block, drugs and sex,” Colón told the LA Times. “Before that, the lyrics and whole attitude of Latin music was, ‘Look at me dance, listen to those drums, I’m cutting sugar cane.’ It was a rural, folkloric emphasis; we changed it to an inner-city kind of culture.”
Later in his career, he would record songs with more traditional topics, but his iconic trombone work never changed. That’s certainly the case with 1993’s “Idilio,” a song that Rolling Stone called a “late-career smash” on its list of Colón’s 10 best songs.
“A summation of his musical persona, ‘Idilio’ boasts fiery trombone moñas and Willie’s vocals in rare form,” they write. “It may follow the sugary salsa romántica vein, but it grooves like crazy.”
Watch the master at work in this music video for “Idilio.” Notice that he’s playing a valve trombone, which combines the mechanics of a trumpet with the physicality and size of a trombone. The instrument helped to achieve his raw, brassy tone:
As Bad Bunny put it, Willie Colón may be gone, but his spirit will live on as long as his timeless music.
Follow along with his trombone work on “Idilio” with this transcription by Gabriel Sinchi:
