A figure beloved in the worlds of dance music and pop has passed away, some suspect due to COVID-19. Citrusonic President Orlando Puerta has died of an upper respiratory infection at age 55. Throughout his career he worked alongside dance music staples like Depeche Mode, Doc Martin and Mark Farina in addition to such pop stars as Madonna and Cher.
The news came by way of Citrusonic, who issued a statement on Monday, April 7th sharing that he passed away in a Los Angeles hospital at 3:40 AM on Sunday morning. “At this time we are awaiting further details and the results of a COVID-19 test performed prior to his passing,” reads a passage obtained by Billboard.
Puerta’s tenure in music extended back to his dance music events in early ’90s Los Angeles. Among them were Sunday School, Cha Cha Groove, Dish, and Miss Kitty’s Candyland. He joined the Warner Brothers Records marketing team in 1997 and went on to work on campaigns for the likes of Bette Midler, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Seal and Michael Buble. After being promoted to director of the label’s dance & lifestyle marketing department in 2001, he played an especially involved role in the career of Madonna (real name Madonna Louise Ciccone).
“I am forever indebted to Orlando and he will be sorely missed,” Ciccone told Billboard. “His passion and commitment to dance and club music had no limits and he was a very big reason I had 50 number ones on the dance charts.”
Citrusonic’s owners have shared that they intend to move forward in Orlando Puerta’s honor. “Our leadership is intact, our business is strong, and we will carry on in memory of Orlando’s epic multi-decade career in Music,” reads their statement.
