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Famed Latin jazz musician Eddie Palmieri<\/strong> has passed away at the age of 88 after suffering from “an extended illness.”<\/p>\n The East Harlem<\/a>-born music legend, who became the first Latino to win a Grammy Award in 1975, died inside his longtime New Jersey<\/a> home, his daughter, Gabriela<\/strong>, revealed to the New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n He is survived by Gabriela, as well as his three other daughters, Renee<\/strong>, Eydie<\/strong>, and Ileana<\/strong>, as well as a son, Edward<\/strong>, and four grandchildren.<\/p>\n Palmieri was credited with being a pioneer of the Latin jazz scene in New York<\/a>, earning a total of 10 Grammy Awards during his lifetime, while producing more than 30 albums.<\/p>\n Having been born in Spanish Harlem, Palmieri\u2014the brother of musician Charlie Palmieri<\/strong>\u2014was introduced to music at a young age, when he first started learning piano, before he found a passion for drums after being enlisted to play timbales in his uncle’s orchestra at age 13, according to his website<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Palmieri\u2019s parents emigrated from Ponce, Puerto Rico to New York City in 1926,” Palmieri’s biography states. “Born in Spanish Harlem and raised in the Bronx, Palmieri learned to play the piano at an early age, and at 13, he joined his uncle\u2019s orchestra, playing timbales.”<\/p>\n The musician spent much of his childhood living in the South Bronx, where he was raised by a seamstress mother, Isabel<\/strong>, and an electrician father, Carlos<\/strong>\u2014both of whom placed a heavy emphasis on the importance of music in a child’s development.<\/p>\n Though he routinely described himself as a percussionist, it was piano that led Palmieri to greatness and saw his music career take off.<\/p>\n “Palmieri\u2019s professional career as a pianist took off with various bands in the early 1950s, including Eddie Forrester, Johnny Segui\u2019s, and the popular Tito Rodriguez Orchestra.”<\/p>\n In the 1960s, the musician formed his own band, La Perfecta, through which he cultivated a unique sound by replacing trumpets with trombones, a move that “mixed American jazz into Afro-Caribbean rhythms, surprising critics and fans alike.”<\/p>\n His surprising blend of what had previously been seen as very distinctive Black and Latin sounds was a key aspect of his debut album, “Harlem River Drive,” as well as his Grammy Award-winning album, “The Sun of Latin Music.”<\/p>\n Palmieri continued to release music regularly up until his death\u2014and was still delighting audiences with his live performances even in his final years, particularly in and around New York.<\/p>\n The music legend spent the majority of his life in the tri-state area, however he relocated to Puerto Rico for a few years in the 1980s, after traveling there to care for his mother.<\/p>\n During that time he recorded three different albums, each of which won a Grammy; however, he noted in a later interview that he found the process of living and working in Puerto Rico very “difficult.”<\/p>\n