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Rafael Ethier, the beloved musician and founder of legendary salsa band El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, whose hits inspired Bad Bunny and other icons in the U.S. territory and beyond, has died. He was 99 years old.
Ethier family attorney Victor Rivera confirmed the musician’s death to radio station WKAQ late Saturday night. The cause of death was not immediately clear.
Ponce Mayor Marlis Siffre said, “Puerto Rico has lost a great man, a man whose life was dedicated to elevating our identity through the arts and rhythms that distinguish us in the world.” “Rafael Ethier Natal was not only the founder and musical director of El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, one of our cultural pillars, but he was also an example of discipline, excellence and deep love for our land.”
Ethier was a self-taught pianist, arranger, composer, music producer and orchestra conductor, leading what many consider the world’s best salsa orchestra.
Birth Saint John And growing up in the working class community of Rio Piedras, Ethier lost his father at the age of 8.
According to the National Foundation for Popular Culture, a local nonprofit, he pursued music at an early age, picking up a guitar at age 10, which he played at a corner store for tips.
At the age of 14, he left school for financial reasons and found jobs wherever possible. A year later, he joined his first musical group, Conjunto Hawaiiano, and learned to play. Cuba Trace and double bass. Later he learned to play the piano and read sheet music.
In his mid-20s, Ethier joined the US Army and was stationed there KoreaLater he traveled new york and formed “The Borinqueners Mambo Kings”, named after Puerto Rico’s 65th Infantry Regiment, the famous all-Hispanic and segregated Army unit that received medals for its service in World Wars I and II and the Korean War.
Ethier eventually moved back to Puerto Rico and joined the Cortijo y Su Combo, but he almost abandoned his musical career after the arrest of their famous singer, Ismael Rivera.
Ethier had planned to study law, but was dissuaded by two Cuban brothers who helped found El Gran Combo. According to the National Foundation for Popular Culture, at the group’s opening night at Bayamon’s Rock’n Roll Club in May 1962, Ethier began playing the piano and, “the rest is history”.
Ethier led El Gran Combo for more than half a century with his trademark smile and black mustache. She confessed to the Primera Hora newspaper in an interview in 2016 at the age of 90 that she was “shy” about ceremonies.
Ethier attributed the orchestra’s success not to mere luck but to the discipline he learned while in the army.
He was quoted as saying, “I learned to be a man and follow an order. That’s the discipline I apply in my life and what I base my life on.”
Under him, El Gran Combo attracted so many musicians who eventually became famous that it was nicknamed “Salsa University”. Among the veteran singers who were part of the orchestra was Charlie Aponte, who wrote on social media that “For me, Rafa was and will be like a father.”
Aponte wrote, “He taught us and demanded responsibility, discipline, and professionalism in our work; if you wanted to join the group, you had to meet those standards. He made us all better people.”
The orchestra played on five continents, releasing over 40 albums and becoming known for hit songs including “Jala Jala,” “Me Libre,” “Y No Hago Más Na,” and “Un Verano en Nueva York,” which inspired one of Bad Bunny’s most popular songs, “Nuevayol.”
Salsa fans were in mourning on Sunday as news of Ethier’s death spread.
“Ethier is one of those immortals who have graced our country. An exemplary man, self-taught, with a strong and outspoken personality, who left the mark of his practical style on all his struggles, achievements and exploits,” said Agustín Montánez Allman, Puerto Rico’s state attorney for veterans affairs.
Puerto Rico Governor Jennifer Colón also expressed condolences over Ethier as she announced that the island would soon hold an official mourning date.
“His legacy transcends borders and lives on across generations. Thank you very much, Ustad,” he said in a statement.
Ethier leaves behind his wife and five children.