The presentation given by Cuban group Los Van Van this weekend in New York City ended in tragedy when one of the musicians lost his life after collapsing on stage.
Just 45 minutes into the show, Juan Carlos Formell, the group’s bassist, started feeling bad so he decided to retire. However, he could not leave the show in time and collapsed in front of the audience and some of his companions had come to his aid.
Disturbingly, the bassist of the Van Van Juan Carlos formula leaves the stage in the middle of the concert and dies minutes later
It is believed that he suffered a heart attack pic.twitter.com/kL82m3otJN— The Cord (@ElPana_CU) May 27, 2023
The event was immediately canceled and formally rushed to the nearest hospital, but unfortunately not much could be done for him and moments later it was confirmed that the 59-year-old musician had died of a heart attack.
On their social networks, the group regretted the departure of Formell, whom they considered a great artist and brother: “It is with great sadness that we inform you that our brother and bassist has passed away. Anyone who ever knew them knows how special they were.” They were as people, as professionals, and as musicians. “This news is destroying us all,” they wrote, along with a photo of Juan Carlos.
Likewise, they announced that they would not cancel the tour planned for the United States, even assuring that they would use the upcoming dates to pay tribute to his memory: “We inform our fans that the tour in the United States is continuing . “We will pay tribute to Juan Carlos in every presentation, in every musical note, in every Vanvanero choir, just as Juanca would have liked,” they added.
Who was Juan Carlos Formal?
The 59-year-old musician with a great artistic career was the son of the group’s famous founder Juan Formell. He was born in 1964 in Havana, Cuba. From an early age he wanted to be part of the music scene, which is why he decided to study at the Alejandro García Cartula and Amadeo Roldán conservatories.
At the age of 30, the instrumentalist moved to New York, where he managed to distinguish himself in the orchestra with his talent for accompanying various jazz greats.
In addition to his work as a bassist, he also worked as a guitarist and composer. And in 1999 he recorded his first album, Songs from a Little Blue House, for which he received a Grammy nomination.