Puerto Rican singer Ismael Rivera Jr., eldest son of the legendary Salsero of the same name, died this Saturday at the age of 67, believed to be of a heart attack, a source close to the artist confirmed to Efe.
According to the source, Rivera Jr. shared with his partner in his vehicle when he “started feeling bad” and in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant in the tourist district of Isla Verde in Carolina, a town near San Juan, died . .
“I just lost one of my best brothers,” said the source, who also said that “Ismaelito,” a nickname of Rivera Jr.
Richie Bastar, musician of the legendary salsa orchestra El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, also mourned the death of his colleague and compatriot.
“La Salsa is mourning, may Ismael Rivera Jr. son of El Sonero Mayor rest in peace, my condolences to his family and fans (sic),” Bastar said on his social networks.
Rivera Jr., son of Virginia Fuentes y Rivera, known as “El Sonero Mayor”, was born on December 10, 1954 in Santurce, a neighborhood of San Juan and a well-known music and artistic district, according to the website saocosalsa.com.
Using the experiences he saw and heard from his father, Rivera Jr. joined the Combo de Cortijo in 1977, led by Rafael Cortijo, his father’s music teacher.
In this group, Rivera Jr. had the opportunity to be the male voice on the album “El Sueño del Maestro” while Fe Cortijo was the female performer.
Later, Rivera Jr. recorded the production “Fruto Humano”, in which the song “Muralla de Bronce”, dedicated to his father, stands out.
In addition, he participated in the group Cortijo y Su Bonche and worked in the orchestras conducted by Francisco “Kako” Bastar, Los Hijos de la Salsa, El Combo de Siempre and ABC (Arte Boricua Cultura) conducted by Jesús Cepeda , the son of legendary Puerto Rican musicians and “father” of the indigenous genres bomba and plena, Rafael Cepeda.
After participating in these groups, Rivera Jr. released the album “La Leyenda Sigue” and later presented the album “Los Hijos de los célebres” together with the sons of the salseros Andy Montañez and the late Pellín Rodríguez.
Among the last musical projects in which he participated was Gilberto Santa Rosa’s album Colegas, where he collaborated on the song Bailadores.
He also contributed his voice to the songs “El charlatán” and “El sazón de grandmother” in the project “100 años de Lito Peña: Una Huella Musical”, dedicated to the also legendary Puerto Rican musician and leader of the Pan American Orchestra, on which he Ismael Rivera Sr. attended.