Legendary Disco Drummer Walfredo de los Reyes Sr. Takes Final Bow at 92—Guess Which Celebs Secretly Owed Him Their Rhythm?
Added on August 29, 2025 inMusic News Cards
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Did you feel the planetary shakeup yesterday—Venus squaring off with Saturn, a cosmic jazz riff sparking creativity and nostalgia? It’s as if the universe itself tapped out a clave beat just for Walfredo de los Reyes Sr., the irrepressible Cuban percussionist who brought wild rhythm and dazzling soul to stages across the world . As a Cancer born on a fat, summery June day—talk about being ruled by the Moon!—Walfredo’s emotional pull could move even Tony Bennett out of his seat. The stars themselves must’ve paused for a rimshot the moment he left us at 92…and I’d like to think Mercury (that sly trickster) delayed the emails just to make sure the news hit us all in a wave, as real rhythm does .
We’re talking about a guy whose life was a six-decade jam session with everyone from Sinatra to La Lupe—plus, let’s not ignore how his legacy pulses through his sons (seriously, percussion is the family business) and his granddaughter’s performances with George Benson . A bigger, bolder beat—layered, soulful, as unpredictable as today’s horoscope—may be his most lasting gift . Can you imagine catching this guy behind the kit in Vegas, under star-bright lights, while Jupiter hovers in Leo? Now, that’s the definition of planetary alignment .
There’s just no one like him, and maybe, on some cosmic level, there never will be again . LEARN MORE
Walfredo de los Reyes Sr., the Cuban-born musician who created a bigger beat by blending hand percussion instruments from his native country with the modern drum set, died Thursday in Concord, California, his family announced. He was 92.
During his six-decade career, de los Reyes performed with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Wayne Newton, Tito Puente, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr., Cachao, La Lupe, Rita Moreno, Juliet Prowse, Ben Vereen, Bernadette Peters, Dionne Warwick and Debbie Reynolds, and he spent decades on stages throughout Las Vegas.
Two of his sons, Walfredo Reyes Jr. and Daniel de los Reyes, are percussionists with Chicago and the Zac Brown Band, respectively, and a granddaughter, Lilliana de los Reyes, is a vocalist and percussionist now performing with guitarist George Benson.
His “rhythm, joy and spirit will live on through his family and the countless musicians he inspired around the world,” the family said in a statement.
Another of his sons, actor Kamar de los Reyes, known for his work on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live and in Call of Duty video games, died on Christmas Eve in 2023 after a brief battle with cancer.
Born in Havana on June 16, 1933, de los Reyes came from a lineage of musicians — his father, trumpeter Walfredo de los Reyes II, helped found the Casino de la Playa orchestra, which bridged Cuban popular music and the sound of American big bands starting in the 1930s.
De los Reyes Sr. went on to pioneer techniques that inspired generations of drummers as a musician and an educator, and he received the Gon Bops Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. His story is preserved through the NAMM Oral History Program with an interview that was recorded in 2011.
Survivors also include his wife, Debbie; his daughters, Lillian and Ildemarie; another son, Johnny; and his other grandchildren, Charlene, David, Antonio, Natalie, Christian, Christopher, Joseph, Gabriel, Daniel, Caylen, John and Michael.
Details regarding a celebration of life event will soon be disclosed.
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