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GRAMMY Award winner Eddie Palmieri has died at the age of 88.
The rumba and jazz musician died at his home in New Jersey on Wednesday.
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He died following an “extended illness,” his daughter, Gabriela, told The New York Times.
Music legend Palmieri, coined as the “Madman of Salsa,” was the first Latino artist to win a Grammy Award.
During his illustrious career, he picked up another seven Grammy Awards.
Palmieri, from Harlem, New York, was a highly-revered pianist and first learned to play the instrument when he was a child.
He started learning at the age of eight, and his brother Charlie, was a professional pianist. Charlie, known as the Giant of the Keyboards, died in 1988.
“It was my mother who put my brother on the instrument and I came along nine years later,” Palmieri told The Savannah Morning News in 2009.
“No other brothers or sisters, it was just us. I was quite blessed.”
But, he was fascinated by the drums and decided to play the timbales in his uncle’s orchestra.
He then changed course and returned to playing the piano.
“I’m a frustrated percussionist, so I take it out on the piano,” Palmieri said.
Palmieri played alongside stars such as Johnny Segul and Tito Rodriguez before he launched La Perfecta, his own band, in 1961.
He won his first Grammy Award in 1975 for his album The Sun of Latin Music.
His success continued into the 1980s, scooping another two Grammy Awards.
GLITTERING CAREER
Palmieri worked with Tito Puente and their album Masterpiece saw the duo pick up two Grammy gongs.
His final Grammy win came in 2007 for the album Simpatico, which means nice or friendly when translated into English.
He was nominated for 14 Grammy Awards during his music career and released more than 40 albums.
In his later years, Palmieri starred in live streams during the Covid pandemic.
The Latin Recording Academy has led the tributes to Palmieri.
He won a lifetime achievement award in 2013.
The organization described him as a “pioneer of salsa” and a “visionary of Latin jazz.”
“His talent broke barriers, merging tradition with innovation, and leaving an indelible mark on generations of musicians and music lovers,” it said.
“He always had a deep commitment to culture, and his invaluable contributions cemented him as one of the great pillars of the Latin sound worldwide.”
Palmieri has been described as a “salsa pioneer” but he wasn’t a massive fan of the word.
In a 2012 Smithsonian interview, he described his music as “Afro-Cuban.”
His death comes more than 10 years after the passing of his doting wife Iraida.
He’s survived by their five children and four grandchildren.
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