Vallenato music lost one of its definitive backing voices on Friday when veteran corista and arranger Julio Morillo died in Valledupar following a battle with cancer, prompting an emotional tribute from star Silvestre Dangond.
- Julio Morillo, born in La Paz, Cesar, in 1952, passed away at the Clínica del Cesar after being hospitalized since October 24, 2026.
- Silvestre Dangond credited Morillo with giving him his first opportunity in a recording studio when Dangond was just 14 years old.
- Funeral services include a chamber ardiente at Sayco in Valledupar, followed by a mass at the catedral Ecce Homo on Sunday, November 15, 2026.
Morillo built a reputation over several decades as one of the genre’s second voices and arrangers. His vocal delivery supported historic figures of Colombian accordion music, including Diomedes Díaz, Jorge Oñate, Beto Zabaleta, Los Diablitos, and Juan Piña, as reported by El Espectador.
Family members announced the death through a public statement shared on the artist’s official Instagram account. According to ELHERALDO.CO, the musician’s son, Julio César Morillo Ramírez, led the tributes alongside relatives.
“Con el corazón destrozado pero sostenidos por el amor inmenso que nos dejó, cumplimos con el doloroso deber de informar el fallecimiento de nuestro amado padre, esposo, suegro, abuelo y maestro, Julio Morillo.”
Among the countless reactions from the Colombian music community, Silvestre Dangond shared a detailed personal recollection on Instagram regarding his initial steps in the industry. The vallenato singer explained how Morillo shaped his early ambitions when he was a teenager looking to record.
“Mi querido Julio Morillo. Tenía apenas 14 años cuando me diste la primera oportunidad de entrar a un estudio de grabación. Fuiste la primera persona que confió en mí, que dirigió mi canto y me acompañó en aquella primera canción que grabé para una audición de Los Pelaos.”
wrote Dangond, as detailed by Publimetro Colombia.
Dangond emphasized that the gesture established the foundation of his career. As Pulzo noted, musicians and fans across the region quickly echoed these sentiments, honoring a musician who directed vocals and built harmonies behind the genre’s biggest stars.
A chamber ardiente took place on Friday afternoon at the regional headquarters of Sayco.
The casket will subsequently move to the catedral Ecce Homo, where funeral services conclude with a mass scheduled for Sunday, November 15, 2026, at 3:00 p.m.
