NEW YORK (By Aquiles Rojas).- The prominent radio host Polito Vega died at age 84.”It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Polito Vega. We cannot express how much we will miss him but we are grateful for the time we had to share with him and the legacy he leaves to the world of radio. We extend our condolences to his families, friends and fans,” he published on the La Mega 97 social network, the station where he worked for many years.
Vega was born in Ponce on August 3, 1938, and grew up in La Playa de Ponce before coming to New York in 1959.
Radio was his only profession. He worked as a commentator and was forced to work the night shift when he was learning to communicate with people through the microphone from an isolated radio booth.
He also worked for Telemundo television for three years, presenting the Club de la Juventud program. He then returned to the radio.
He considered himself a frustrated singer. He rarely took his cap off. His voice was strong, and most fans recognized him for his gravelly tone. In his office in midtown Manhattan, he liked to talk about music, anything from Salsa to reggaeton.
On one occasion, while talking on the phone, he stated:” Salsa is the genre that has given me the most satisfaction. I love Cha Cha Cha, Guajira, and Changó, but the most beautiful of all is Son Montuno. Salsa is alive and it will be alive forever.”
Polito was the person who carried out a radio program on La Mega 97.9FM in New York on salsa weekends (Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 noon to 8:00 PM.), with his peculiar smile and charismatic style, with which he managed to captivate the radio audience for many years.
