NOTEWORTHY DEATHS

Famed salsa singer, anti-drug advocate

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Puerto Rican salsa legend Cheo Feliciano died in a car accident early Thursday, prompting the governor of the U.S. territory to declare three days of mourning.

Feliciano, a member of the Fania All Stars, was one of the most recognized salsa singers, with hits including “Una en un millon,” ”Mi promesa” and “Contigo aprendi.”

The 78-year-old Feliciano was alone in his Jaguar when he hit a light post before dawn in the northern suburb of Cupey. Police officer Jorge Hernandez Pena, who is overseeing investigation of the crash, said Feliciano was not wearing his seat belt.

He said it is unclear what led to the crash, adding that officials did not find any drugs or alcohol in the car.

His wife of 56 years, Socorro “Coco” Prieto Leon, told reporters that Feliciano had been at a casino Wednesday night.

Cheo Feliciano was born in the southern coastal city of Ponce and formed his first band when he was about 8, playing instruments made from cans, according to a February 2000 interview he gave music website descarga.com.

Feliciano’s father struggled to find work as a carpenter, and his family moved to New York when Feliciano was a teenager.

On Oct. 5, 1957, Feliciano married Prieto, a Puerto Rican dancer, and that night, gave his first concert as a singer with the Joe Cuba band.

A decade later, he left the band and then collaborated with Eddie Palmieri on his album Champagne but succumbed to heroin addiction shortly afterward and withdrew from the spotlight for nearly three years.

He returned to his native Puerto Rico for rehab, became a staunch anti-drug spokesman and joined the Fania All Stars in 1972.

‘Gang of Four’ member, state senator

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK - Basil Paterson, a longtime New York political powerhouse and the father of former Gov. David Paterson, has died, his family said Thursday. He was 87.

Paterson died Wednesday at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to a family statement that did not give the cause of death. He would have turned 88 on April 27.

The Democrat served as a state senator, deputy New York City mayor and New York’s first black secretary of state. He was part of the influential “Gang of Four” that included New York City’s first black mayor, David Dinkins; political powerbroker and civil-rights activist Percy Sutton; and U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel. They built a power base that made Harlem a launching pad for the state’s black leadership and opened doors for black businesses.

Rangel said Paterson recently had heart surgery and had suffered some health setbacks in the last few years. The congressman said he visited him at the hospital several weeks ago and that he appeared strong as the two spoke about the future of New York and the country.

Arkansas, Pages 12 on 04/18/2014

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