Four years after the passing of Johnny Ventura, merengue legend

Santo Domingo.– This July 28, 2025 marks the fourth anniversary of the death of Johnny Ventura, a Dominican figure who influenced music and politics. On July 28, 2021, Juan de Dios Ventura Soriano, born on March 8, 1940, in Santo Domingo, passed away at the age of 81 in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. The cause was an acute myocardial infarction. The artist had overcome Covid-19 in 2020.

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According to those close to him, the artist felt unwell while having lunch and was transferred to the Unión Médica University Clinic. Ventura founded El Combo Show de Johnny Ventura in 1964. This group modified merengue by incorporating new instruments and stage elements. Her discography includes more than one hundred albums. During his career, Johnny received accolades such as international awards, gold and platinum records, and a Latin Grammy for Musical Excellence in 2006. In the political arena, Ventura was a deputy in the National Congress from 1982 to 1986 and mayor of the National District from 1998 to 2002. His funeral was public, with a tour through Villa Juana and his burial in the Cristo Redentor Cemetery. Following his death, artists such as Gilberto Santa Rosa, Elvis Crespo, Don Omar, Carlos Vives and Juan Luis Guerra, as well as institutions such as the Constitutional Court and the Ministry of Culture, expressed their condolences.