03/10/2026
Funeral Mass for Willie A. R. Colón: Requiem for a Native Son
Born in the South Bronx on April 28, 1950, Willie Armando Ramon Colón, was called home to our Father on February 21, 2026, at the age of 75.
A multi-talented artist, Willie, received 10 Grammy nominations, sold more than 30 million records worldwide, achieved nine Gold Records and five Platinum Records, and gave smiles of joy to millions the world over. His most celebrated album, Siembra, is regarded as the highest-selling salsa album of all time.
Watch the Mass Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhjpA1ikPsc
Dear Beloved in Christ,
It is with hearts full of both sorrow and gratitude that we bid farewell to our beloved brother Willie. He carried within him the faith, fire, and tenderness of his Catholic faith — bestowed upon him by a family that gifted him not only a trombone and a deep appreciation for salsa, but also the love of Jesus Christ and the Catholic faith.
From the very beginning, Willie's music rang out in church basements and community halls, places where the faithful gathered not only to dance, but to belong. One of his fellow musicians recalled first seeing Willie and Héctor Lavoe (another titan of salsa music) perform in the basement of Willie's local church during the 1970s. Though he was a true New Yorker, he maintained strong ties to Puerto Rico, spending summers at his maternal grandmother's farm in the outskirts of Manatí; and those experiences infused his music with authentic Caribbean soul. Willie's music was, in the truest sense, a kind of evangelization — a proclamation that joy is holy, that suffering can be transformed into song, and that the dignity of the poor and the marginalized is always precious in the eyes of the Lord.
Through his art, he spoke for those who had no microphone, championed justice with the courage of a prophet, and reminded an entire generation that their culture, their language, and their very lives were worthy of celebration. Like the psalms of David, his melodies carried both lament and praise — and was that not exactly what our heavenly Father placed him on this earth to do?
For example, his song "Tiburón" ("Shark") was a sharp critique of U.S. imperialism in Latin America.
As we commended his soul to God at the altar of St. Patrick's Cathedral, surrounded by the prayers of a community that loved him deeply, we do so with the certain hope of the resurrection. "I am the resurrection and the life," our Lord tells us, and so we trust that Willie — that bold, joyful, tender servant leader of people — now hears a music more beautiful than anything his trombone ever produced. May the angels lead him into paradise. May the martyrs receive him at his coming. And may he rest, at last, in the peace that surpasses all understanding. Vaya con Dios, dear friend. Our eyes will forever long to see your face.
Encomendamos a nuestro hermano Willie a la misericordia de Dios, y confiamos su cuerpo a la tierra: tierra a la tierra, ceniza a la ceniza, polvo al polvo. En la esperanza cierta de la resurrección a la vida eterna, por nuestro Señor Jesucristo, quien transformará nuestro cuerpo humilde para ser como su cuerpo glorioso.
We commend our brother Willie to the mercy of God, and we commit his body to the ground: earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. In the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our humble body to be like His glorious body.
Dales, Señor, el descanso eterno. Y brille para ellos la luz perpetua. Que descansen en paz. Amén.
Grant them, Lord, eternal rest. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
En tus manos, Padre de misericordia, encomendamos a nuestro hermano Willie, en la esperanza segura y cierta de que, junto con todos los que han mu**to en Cristo, resucitará con Él en el último día.
Into your hands, Father of mercies, we commend our brother Willie, in the sure and certain hope that, together with all who have died in Christ, he will rise with Him on the last day.
En tus manos, Padre de misericordia, encomendamos a nuestro hermano Willie, en la esperanza segura y cierta de que, junto con todos los que han mu**to en Cristo, resucitará con Él en el último día.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
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