Salsa Legend Joe Arroyo Dead at 55

Read about the Latin Recording Academy’s announcement that the late Joe Arroyo would be posthumously honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Today, Colombia and salsa music lovers around the world are mourning the loss of Joe Arroyo, one of the genre’s favorite sons. His wife confirmed on Radio Caracol that the legendary salsero passed away at 7:45 this morning from heart failure.

The 55 year old known as “El Joe” had spent the last 29 days struggling for his life in the intensive care unit in la Clinica La Asunción in Barranquilla. He was suffering from systemic organ collapse, including failure of his pulmonary, kidney, and cardiac function, apparently stemming from hypertension and diabetes.

The Colombian singer-songwriter was born Alvaro Jose Arroyo Gonzalez in Cartagena in 1955, and began his career as a teenager with the band Fruko y sus Tesos. But his biggest success came as a solo musician, leading to hits such as “Tania,” “La Noche,” “Echao Pa’lante,” and most notably, the salsa anthem “Rebelión.”

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