Jose Luis Cortes Cause of Death Heartbreaking: Timba Pioneer Dead at 70

Jose Luis Cortes, a Cuban bandleader and pioneer of the Timba genre, has died. He was 70.

The Instituto Cubano de la Musica's Facebook page first confirmed the news about Cortes tragic passing, saying that he died on April 18 in Havana.

"Born in the neighborhood of El Condado, in the city of Santa Clara, he graduated from the flute specialty at the National School of Art and stood out, from a very young age, for his virtuosity as an instrumentalist and orchestrator and his leadership capacity among the union colleagues," the organization's statement, translated from Spanish (via PEOPLE), said.

The same post confirmed Jose Luis Cortes' cause of death, saying that he passed away after suddenly suffering from a hemorrhagic cerebrovascular accident.

According to the National Cancer Institute, the condition - which is a type of stroke - happens when a blood vessel in a patient's brain or on the surface of the organ leaks. This then causes bleeding in or around the brain. Due to the swelling and pressure, the organ sustains damaged cells and tissues that can lead to death.

Following the release of the statement, fans of the trailblazing Cuban bandleader sent their outpouring messages to the late musician and his bereaved family.

A Look Back to Jose Luis Cortes' Life and Career

Cortes began his career when he professionally performed in the Cuban songo band, Los Van Van, and composed music for its "Los Van Van v. V (Areíto LD-378)" 1970 collection.

He also worked with the Afro-Cuban jazz supergroup, Irake, and helped them launch one of their most popular songs, "Rucu rucu a Santa Clara."

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In 1988, Cortes gave birth to the Cuban dance genre of Timba after NG La Banda was formed. In an interview with The Miami Herald in 1988, the El Tosco spoke up about creating the genre and how it helps people make more music.

"The intellectuals say that timba is crap. But this is a racist concept. Cuban popular music has always been the music of the people, of the poor barrios, where there are very few whites. This is the music that comes from below, that makes people want to dance. But just because people dance to it doesn't mean it's not as serious as any other serious music," he told the news outlet.

Cortes went on to proclaim that timba ultimately became the sound of Cuba soon after it was coined.

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