Havana – Orlando “Cachaito” Lopez, 76, bassist of the legendary Cuban Buena Vista Social Club, died Monday in a Havana hospital.

Friends of the musician confirmed that Lopez had been hospitalized for some time and died on Monday afternoon following surgery.

Born in 1933 into a prominent family of Cuban musicians, Lopez was the nephew of legendary bassist Israel “Cachao” Lopez, which earned him the nickname Cachaito.

Lopez was regarded as the pulse of the Buena Vista Social Club. The group was built around singer Ibrahim Ferrer, who died in 2005, and gained international fame following the 2000 movie, Buena Vista Social Club, by director Wim Wenders. (dpa)