Machito's legacy: the Machito Orchestra was among New York City's top five most popular orchestras for twenty years beginning in 1940. On Sunday, April 13, 1984, he died in London, England, at age 75. The following is a resume of Machito's career

Latin Beat Magazine, June-July, 2002 by Max Salazar

Machito's son Mario became the band's musical director in 1976. Machito's daughter, Paula, was groomed as a vocalist to take over her father's role when he retired. Paula, who began singing chorus in 1976, made a successful debut as a lead vocalist in Helsinki, Finland, in February, 1979. She sang up-tempo tunes as well as ballads. When not on the bandstand, Machito devoted his leisure time helping the underprivileged.

During his tenure in the Latin music scene, Machito was lauded with many praises because of his warmth, friendly attitude, selflessness and outstanding music. There is a consensus of opinion that the best description of Machito was the "Goodwill Ambassador for the greatest Latin dance music in the world."