The Latin music world lost one of its greatest lights today, as legendary percussionist and bandleader Ray Barretto died from complications from heart surgery and pneumonia. He was 76.

Barretto, regarded as one of the leaders of the Latin jazz movement that took shape in New York City in the late 1940s and early 1950s, passed away at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, according to a statement from family spokesman George Rivera.

Barretto, a Puerto Rican who was born and raised in Brooklyn, had undergone quintuple heart bypass surgery in January.

Barretto was a nearly ubiquitous figure in the Latin jazz scene dominated by the likes of Tito Puente and Dizzy Gillespie, adding the driving salsa beat of the conga drum to the jazz music of that era.

Along with a stint as a member of the famed Fania All-Stars, Barretto had a prolific solo career that spanned six decades and 50 albums. His biggest hit was 1962's "El Watusi," which spent several weeks on the Billboard charts. Barretto won a Grammy Award in 1989 for his performance of "Ritmo en el Corazon" with Celia Cruz.

His last, Time Was - Time Is, released last September, included his trademark mix of hard bop and Latin rhythms.