In the midst of his successful "DeBI Tirar Mas Fotos World Tour," the Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny offered a heartfelt tribute to one of the great figures of salsa, Willie Colon, who passed away this February 21st at 75 years old. The emotional moment occurred during his performance in Brazil and quickly went viral on social media. Before the Brazilian audience, Bad Bunny stopped the show to dedicate a few words to the trombonist and composer, acknowledging his immense musical legacy. “Today a great legend passed away, one who contributed so much to this beautiful and legendary genre,” expressed the performer of “Titi me asked.” “On behalf of myself and my nephews, I wish Willie Colon peace, and much strength to his family,” he added as the audience gave him a warm round of applause. The singer, known as “El Conejo Malo” (Bad Bunny), also wanted to highlight Willie Colon's enduring influence on new generations of musicians. “As long as it exists, artists like those here will keep music, salsa, and all rhythms alive,” he stated, before asking the audience, “So, Brazil, do you want to dance?” closing the poignant pause with the energy that characterizes his concerts. In this way, Bad Bunny joined the long list of artists who have mourned the passing of “The Bad Guy from the Bronx.” In the last years of his life, Colon was critical of reggaeton, the Recording Academy, and even Bad Bunny. In a December 2025 post, he accused the record label of the “Yo Perreo Sola” singer of using bots to inflate the number of plays on Spotify. The “Baron of Salsa,” as he was also known, passed away after suffering respiratory problems. The first clues about his health condition became public on February 17, after a New York community blog claimed he was hospitalized.

After several online reports, Ruben Blades himself, on February 20,He sent a message of support to his family and later expressed his sadness at the death of one of his musical colleagues.