Willie Colón

William Anthony Colón Román (April 28, 1950 – February 21, 2026) was an American salsa singer-songwriter, musician, actor, record producer, politician and social activist. He began his career as a trombonist. Colón was a pioneer of salsa music. He was also known as a social activist in New York City. His best known songs were "Pedro Navaja", "Aguanilé", "Tiburón", and "El gran varón".

He also acted in movies, including roles in Vigilante (1983), The Last Fight (1983), Miami Vice (1987), and It Could Happen to You (1994).

Colón was the chair of the Association of Hispanic Arts.

Politics and activism
Colón was a civil rights, community, and political activist from the age of 16. He was a member of the Latino Commission on AIDS, president of the Arthur Schomburg Coalition for a Better New York, and member of the board of directors of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. In 1995, Colón became the first person of color to serve on the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) national board. He was also a member of the ASCAP Foundation.

In 1994, Colón ran against Representative Eliot Engel for the Democratic party primary for New York's 17th congressional district. He was lost the primary in a 62% to 38% vote. In 2001, Colón unsuccessfully ran for New York City Public Advocate. He worked for the mayoral governments of David Dinkins and Michael Bloomberg. In his later years, he became a critic of socialist foreign governments and his views became more right-wing.

Death
Colón died on February 21, 2026 at a hospital in Bronxville, New York from respiratory failure at the age of 75.

References

Other websites

 Willie Colón's website


 NewMusicBox cover: Willie Colón in conversation with Frank J. Oteri, January 28, 2009 (includes video) 

Category:1950 births
Category:2026 deaths
Category:Deaths from respiratory failure
Category:American trumpeters
Category:American movie actors
Category:American television actors
Category:American record producers
Category:American political activists
Category:American civil servants
Category:American civil rights activists
Category:American composers
Category:Singer-songwriters from New York City
Category:Musicians from New York City
Category:Actors from New York City
Category:Politicians from New York City
Category:Democratic Party (United States) politicians
Category:Disease-related deaths in New York (state)
Category:Latin Grammy Award winners