“With his smooth baritone voice and charisma, Cheo Feliciano helped catapult salsa to an international stage. His entrancing performance of “El Ratón” in Kinshasa, where he and the Fania All Stars had to compete with thunderous applause, stands as one of the most memorable showcases of salsa’s “dream team.”

Whether he was paying homage to a Taino queen or crooning about heartache, audiences from New York to Japan were electrified by the beloved Cheo, who made El Barrio/East Harlem his home during the height of Puerto Rican migration to the Big Apple. My thoughts are with his family and the countless fans who adored this giant of salsa. Que descanse en paz.”

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