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Teaneck (AP) - Salsa pioneer Johnny Pacheco died at the age of 85.
This was announced by the US record company Fania Records, which the man from the Dominican Republic co-founded in 1964.
According to US media reports, citing relatives of Pachecos, he died in a hospital in a suburb of the metropolis of New York.
There was initially no information on the cause of death.
The flute player, band leader and songwriter played a significant role in the popularization of Cuban music in the 1960s and 1970s in New York, where the salsa music genre also emerged.
Pacheco was responsible for this more than anyone, the record company wrote on Twitter.
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Pacheco was born Juan Azarías Pacheco Knipping in the Dominican city of Santiago de los Caballeros in 1935, but he and his family moved to New York as a child.
His father was a well-known musician in the Caribbean country.
Under Pacheco's leadership, Fania Records signed some of the biggest stars of Latin American music, including Celia Cruz, Willie Colón and Rubén Blades.
He also led the salsa supergroup Fania All Stars.
Their sold-out concert at the New York Yankees baseball stadium in 1973 is considered the height of salsa popularity.
He later contributed music to films such as Mambo Kings and worked with musicians from other genres - including David Byrne, front man for Talking Heads.
An annual festival for Latin American music and jazz in New York is also named after Pacheco.
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© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210216-99-457315 / 3
Tweet from Fania Records