NEW YORK – Juan Carlos Formell, bassist of the historic Cuban group Los Van Van, passed away on the night of this Friday at age 59 as a result of a heart attack after leaving the stage in the middle of a concert in New York.
The musician’s death son of the founder of Los Van Van Juan Formell, was confirmed in a statement by the Cuban Institute of Music.
The artist felt unwell on stage during a performance by the group at the Lehman Center from The Bronx, which forced the interruption of the show, although it was resumed half an hour later with another bass player in his place.
Formell was taken to a nearby hospital.as EFE learned.
Born in Havana in 1964, the musician studied at the Alejandro García Caturla conservatories and Amadeo Roldán from Havana and completed his training at the National Art School of Cuba, to later settle in New York in 1993.
According to the Cuban Institute of Music, He stood out for his peculiar style as an instrumentalist accompanying various figures of Cuban jazz such as Emiliano Salvador, Guillermo Fragoso and Joseíto González, director of the Rumbavana Orchestra.
Guitarist, bassist and composer, Formell recorded his album “Songs from a Little Blue House” in 1999.which was nominated for a Grammy and was the first of several solo albums.
After the death of his father in 2014, he joined Los Van Van as bassist..
The Cuban group performed this Friday in New York as part of a troubled US tour, as the band was forced to initially postpone that concert due to visa difficulties and cancel another performance in Miami.
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