Juan Carlos Formellbassist of the historic Cuban band The van, He died on Friday night at the age of 59. following a heart attack after leaving the stage in the middle of a concert in New York.
The death of the musician, son of Los Van Van founder Juan Formell, was confirmed in a statement from the Cuban Institute of Music.
The artist he felt sick on stage during a performance by the group at the Lehman Center in the Bronx, which forced the show to be halted, though it was resumed half an hour later with another bass player in his place.
Formell, meanwhile, was reportedly being taken to a nearby hospital.
a successful career
Born in Havana in 1964, the musician studied at the Alejandro García Caturla and Amadeo Roldán conservatories of Havana and completed his training at the National Art School of Cuba, before settling in New York in 1993.
According to the Cuban Institute of Music, he stood out for his peculiar style as an instrumentalist accompanying various figures of Cuban jazz such as Emiliano Salvador, Guillermo Fragoso and Joseíto González, director of the Rumbavana Orchestra.
Guitarist, bassist and composer, Formell recorded in 1999 the album Songs from a little blue housewhich was nominated for a Grammy and was the first of several solo albums. After his father’s death in 2014, he joined Los Van Van as a bass player..
The Cuban group performed on Friday, May 26 in New York as part of a troubled US tour, as the band was initially forced to postpone that concert due to visa issues and cancel another performance in Miami .
mourning and sadness
Immediately, musicians, cultural institutions and fans on social networks lamented the death of bassist Juan Carlos Formell in Cuba.
THE Cuban Deputy Prime Minister Inés María Chapman regretted the news on Twitter and sent condolences to her relatives.
“Once again death takes one of our musicians. Our condolences to the family and the Van Van group,” he said, for his part, EGREMthe State Company of Engravings and Music Publishing.
The Cuban group Havana D Before He regretted the reports about his networks and described Formell as a “being of light” who “passes into another dimension”.
The Orchestra Maykel Blanco and its major sauce recognized the Cuban musician as a “dear brother and friend”.
the state Cuban Institute of Music (ICM) also expressed condolences and in a press release highlighted the Cuban musician’s work with Los Van Van:
“During his work with this famous Cuban popular music orchestra, he has developed a commendable work, especially in recent years, under the direction of his brother Samuel Formell, and has contributed decisively to keeping his father’s musical legacy alive “, he said.
Source: Clarin
