His dancing career cut short by an ankle injury, Puente turned instead to music, rocketing to fame in the 1950s during the “Mambo” craze. His unique jazz style influenced such superstars as Carlos Santana, and he played himself in the 1992 movie Mambo Kings.
He also played for Presidents Carter, Reagan and Bush, and Clinton awarded him the National Medal of Arts in 1997. He won five Grammys for his more-than-100 albums. Ernest Anthony “Tito” Puente Jr died May 31 from heart problems. He was 77.