Willie Colon honored by Bad Bunny at Allianz Parque after musician’s death at 75
Bad Bunny paused his second concert at Allianz Parque in São Paulo on Saturday to honor willie colon, the Puerto Rican trombonist and producer who died in the morning of Feb. 21, 2026, at 75 from respiratory complications in New York.
At the heart of the moment was a direct acknowledgement from Benito Martínez Ocasio — Bad Bunny — who stopped before his set with Los Sobrinos to speak about Colón’s place in salsa and Caribbean music. The concert stop came the day after Colón’s death and was noted in an updated post stamped Feb. 22, 2026 — 4: 10 p. m.
Bad Bunny delivered a Spanish tribute to the trombonist, saying: “Especialmente para nosotros los que crecimos en el Caribe escuchando salsa... Hoy se fue una de las leyendas que aportó a este género tan hermoso y tan legendario. Así que, de parte mía y de Los Sobrinos, le deseamos que descanse en paz a Willie Colon. Mucha fortaleza a su familia. La inspiración de muchos de estos grandes músicos que dejaron en la tierra no va a morir nunca mientras sigan existiendo jóvenes talentosos como estos que están aquí, manteniendo la música y la salsa y todos los ritmos caribeños vivos. ”
Willie Colon remembered at Allianz Parque
The brief stop at Allianz Parque in São Paulo came before the performances Bad Bunny conducts with his backing group Los Sobrinos. The move underscored that, as the report put it, Colón’s death could not go unnoticed by Bad Bunny or by musicians who carry the salsa clave around the world.
Creative ties: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS and “Nueva Yol”
The two artists’ creative relationship is tied to Bad Bunny’s successful album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, ” where Benito Martínez Ocasio referenced the trombonist in the track “Nueva Yol. ” The song includes the lyric: “Willie Colón, me dicen el malo / ey / porque pasan los años y sigo dando palos. ” Bad Bunny also included who was once Rubén Blades’s and Héctor Lavoe’s musical partner in the video for “Nueva Yol. ”
Public clashes and praise on X
The relationship between Bad Bunny and Colón was not always cordial: Colón publicly criticized the singer on the social platform X, questioning the veracity of Bad Bunny’s Spotify numbers when Bad Bunny became the most listened artist in 2025. The report notes that Colón had been very vocal and controversial on X in recent years.
Colón’s later praise for Bad Bunny
Despite his criticisms, Colón also publicly recognized Bad Bunny’s contribution to salsa and to Puerto Rican musical presence worldwide. Colón said: “Es algo que todos necesitábamos, el empuje que le dio a la salsa, le dio al boricua y tomar una posición más puertorriqueña y más latina, eso lo necesitábamos. Es una movida excelente. ”
Bad Bunny’s pause in São Paulo and his words onstage highlighted a complicated, creative bond between two figures from different generations: the veteran trombonist and producer who shaped salsa and the global superstar who has referenced and incorporated that tradition into contemporary work.
It is unclear in the provided context what Bad Bunny’s next scheduled public appearance or what formal tributes for Willie Colón will be.
