Salsa Great Joe Cuba Dies Joe Cuba, the “Father of Latin Boogaloo,” best known for his electrifying, pulsating salsa grooves, has died, the Latin Examiner reports. He succumbed to complications from a bacterial infection a day after being taken off life support at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. He was 78.  ”I’m hurt and saddened because for me he [Joe Cuba] symbolized my birth as an artist and singer,” José “Cheo” Feliciano, 73, told the Latin Music Examiner on Monday. “At the time, I was a fortunate percussionist, but Tito Rodríguez told me that I had to quit the congas and start to sing. So on Oct. 5, 1957, I got married and on the same night, instead of going on my honeymoon, I went to my first gig as a singer with the Joe Cuba Sextet,” he added. Others in the Joe Cuba Sextet were Jimmy Sabater (timbales), Nick jiménez (piano), Tommy Berríos (vibraphone) and Slim Cordero (bass). Joe Cuba was actually born Gilberto Calderón in 1931 into a New York-based Puerto Rican family. A conga player, Cuba revolutionized the percussive sounds of salsa in the late 1960s, the Examiner writes. “Along with fellow salseros Richie Ray, Bobby Cruz and the late Ray Barretto, he was at the forefront of a bubbling Latin soul beat that emerged in New York in the early 1970s.”

No Telling What You Might Land from Neverland Auction For the right price, you could be the proud owner of Michael Jackson’s famous white glove or of a one-of-a-kind photo of the King Of Pop garbed in an Elizabethan dress holding a crown on a pillow or a 1999 Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph limo with an interior of  24-karat gold elaborations. In April, you might just want to show up at the Neverland Ranch auction, where thousands of Jackson’s belongings will go on the auction block. In addition to the aforementioned items, there are at least three suits of armor, fine artworks, costumes, awards, furniture and goo-gobs of other things. “Michael Jackson was a collector of everything,” said Darren Julien, president of Julien’s Auctions, which will conduct the sale from April 22 to 25 in Beverly Hills. “We’ve never seen a collection that is as extensive and eccentric as his.”

He was the controversial leader of the players’ union

Gene Upshaw, an 11-time All-Pro NFL lineman and the executive director of the NFL players’ union, has died of complications from pancreatic cancer, The Associated Press reports. He was 63. A longtime on-the-field force for the Oakland Raiders and Los Angeles Raiders, Upshaw was also the longest-tenured labor leader in sports. But it was in the latter job that drew the most criticism, as many players often contended that Upshaw was not as effective as he could have been in fighting for the rights of players, particularly those of older players, who had sacrificed their knees, necks and neglected families for the sake of the league. Critics noted that many of those older players have suffered life-altering ailments from their football days, a time before lucrative salaries and pensions, and should be better compensated. Upshaw was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987. He is survived by his wife, Terri, and sons, Justin, Daniel and Eugene Jr. Click to send condolences.

It’s the ethnic minorities who get the best offerings in the public sector, they say

Nearly a third (29 percent) of the White folks in Britain believe they are victims of racism, a new government survey reveals. The issue is jobs, as many contend that ethnic minorities are given preference for public-sector openings. Conducted by the Department for Communities and Local Government, the survey shows that Whites feel like they face the most discrimination in public services, such as housing, schools and police, AP reports. A full quarter of Whites believe they lose out on welfare housing. A 10th of Whites say they get a raw deal in the justice system, while a sixth say police discriminate against them. About 3 percent say they get worse treatment than other races in school.