Rafael Ithier, founder and longtime musical director of El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, has died at age 99. The pianist, composer and arranger spent more than six decades shaping El Gran Combo into one of the premier salsa institutions in Latin America and beyond.
The orchestra posted a statement on its social media calling Ithier “the architect of a sound that marked generations,” praising his discipline, vision and love for salsa and saying he forged the history of El Gran Combo and Latin music worldwide.
Born in San Juan in 1926, Ithier began playing guitar at age 10. He left school at 14 to help support his family but kept learning instruments, mastering the Cuban tres, double bass and eventually the piano, which became his signature.
Drafted into the U.S. Army in 1952 and stationed in Korea, Ithier later said the experience taught him discipline and shaped his approach to life and leadership. After his service he played with a New York group called the Borinqueneers Mambo Kings before returning to Puerto Rico to join Cortijo y Su Combo.
When Cortijo y Su Combo was shaken by the 1962 arrest of singer Ismael Rivera, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico rose in its place with Ithier at the helm. As salsa reached its golden age in the 1970s, blending mambo, Afro-Cuban rhythms and jazz, El Gran Combo became a defining Puerto Rican voice in the genre.
Notable recordings include the 1975 tribute “Un Verano en Nueva York,” honoring the Nuyorican community, and the 1979 hit “Brujeria,” known for its booming brass and rhythmic drive. El Gran Combo also became an informal training ground for generations of salsa musicians, earning the nickname “la universidad de la salsa,” which was also the title of a 1983 album.
Through decades of lineup changes, Ithier remained the group’s steady leader, recording dozens of albums and performing worldwide. In 2015 El Gran Combo received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Latin Grammys.
Following news of his death, musicians, collaborators and institutions shared condolences and praise online. The Latin Recording Academy wrote that Ithier leaves “an eternal legacy in salsa” and thanked him for a life dedicated to music.