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\n\tWillie Col\u00f3n<\/a>, the legendary salsa icon, died Saturday morning, his family confirmed. He was 75. A cause of death has not been disclosed.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, and renowned musician, Willie Col\u00f3n,\u201d his family said in a statement<\/a> on his official Facebook page. \u201cHe departed peacefully this morning, surrounded by his loving family.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe statement continued, \u201cAlthough we mourn his absence, we also rejoice in the eternal gift of his music and the cherished memories it created, which will live on forever.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBorn William Anthony Col\u00f3n Rom\u00e1n on April 28, 1950 in the Bronx in New York City, the musician embraced his Puerto Rican heritage, learning to speak Spanish from his grandmother Antonia.<\/p>\n \n\tHe launched his six-decade career as a teenager, releasing his first album, 1967\u2019s El Malo<\/em>, at the precocious age of 16 alongside H\u00e9ctor Lavoe. Their partnership was a fruitful one, the duo became one of record label Fania\u2019s most important salsa acts.<\/p>\n \n\tLavoe provided the young Col\u00f3n music lessons, encouraging the musical prodigy to be innovative with instrumentation and song structure.<\/p>\n \n\tCol\u00f3n\u2019s love for music began years prior, while in elementary school, where he played the flute, and shortly after the bugle. By age 13, he picked up the trumpet and began taking lessons, all of these early musical forays informing his distinguished technique and style.<\/p>\n