Papo Angarica, a rumba legend in Cuba, died yesterday of respiratory failure caused by the chronic renal failure he had been suffering from, reported the Cuban Music Institute.
Up until his death, Mario Angarica Díaz was director of the group Son Yoruba and worked as an advisor to several Cuban and Latin American folklore ensembles.
Born in Havana on July 18, 1942 he learned a lot from his father, Nicolás Angarica from Matanzas, who gave him his first tambor (drum) at age four.
Thus his long career began which included teaching the new generation the fundamentals of the Yoruba religion, through his songs and ritual performances.
As a percussionist he is renowned for making a valuable contribution to rumba with the album Osun Lozun standing out among his most noteworthy productions.
Yesterday, his body was laid out for mourners to pay their respects at the funeral parlor on Calzada and K, while his funeral will take place today.