Overview
- The family’s attorney, Víctor Rivera, confirmed Ithier’s death late Saturday, saying the cause and exact date were not disclosed.
- Gov. Jenniffer Colón said Puerto Rico will set an official mourning date as tributes arrived from musicians and officials, and Ithier is survived by a wife and five children.
- Bad Bunny, who recently cited El Gran Combo as a key influence, posted a Sunday photo homage scored to the group’s songs.
- Ithier led El Gran Combo for more than five decades, issuing over 40 albums and taking the orchestra to stages across five continents.
- The band’s “Un Verano en Nueva York” helped shape newer work such as Bad Bunny’s “Nuevayol,” reflecting a legacy rooted in a disciplined career that included Army service in Korea and the Borinqueneers Mambo Kings.