Juan Carlos Formell Alfonso, bassist, guitarist and composer, died on Friday at the age of 59 in New York due to a heart attack while performing with Los Van Van at the Lehman Center. The Cuban Institute of Music confirmed this news.
During Friday's concert, a video was recorded capturing the moment the musician abandoned his instrument and the stage. He disappeared behind the stage curtains and collapsed to the floor, requiring the help of support staff.
At the time of writing this note, there has been no statement from Los Van Van nor any word from their family.
Alfonso Formell was born in Havana in 1964 and moved to New York in 1993. He took on the role of bassist for Los Van Van, the band that his father, the renowned musician Juan Formell, founded and directed for many years.
He completed his musical education at two illustrious conservatories in Havana, Cuba, Alejandro García Caturla and Amadeo Roldán, and later specialized at the National School of Art. Due to his exceptional ability as an accompanying instrumentalist, he was able to collaborate with several prominent names in Cuban jazz, including Emiliano Salvador, Guillermo Fragoso and Joseíto González, who conducted the famous Orquesta Rumbavana.
Danae Blanco Villanueva, who is also a musician, and Samuel and Vanessa Formell are among the deceased's surviving family members. The word count remains the same.
