The well-known salsa musician Johnny Pacheco passed away this week at the age of 85, CNN reports Tuesday. He was an artist, producer, record boss and founded the well-known label Fania Records.
It is not known why the singer died.
Employees of his record label reflect on Pacheco’s death on Facebook . “His music will live on forever and we are grateful to have been a part of his wonderful adventure.”
Often referred to as the ‘Godfather of salsa’, Pacheco had a profound influence on Latin American music. The Dominican-born musician had a great eye for talent. He made a lot of salsa artists great, such as Celia Cruz.
The artist was particularly successful in the 1960s and 1970s. With his label Fania Records he accompanied various artists, including the Fania All-Stars. This ‘super group’ consisted of several artists who made uptempo music and in which percussion instruments played a major role. The fans gave the name ‘salsa’ to this music.
Pacheco was nominated nine times for a Grammy. In 2005 he won the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.