Walfredo de los Reyes Sr., a Cuban-born musician who blended hand percussion instruments from his native country with drumset, died August 27, 2025 at age 92. During his six-decade career, de los Reyes performed with such artists as Frank Sinatra, Milton Berle, Wayne Newton, Tito Puente, Tony Bennett, George Burns, Sammy Davis Jr., Cachao, La Lupe, Robert Goulet, Rich Little, Rita Moreno, Juliet Prowse, Ben Vereen, Bernadette Peters, Dionne Warwick, and Debbie Reynolds, and he spent decades on stages throughout Las Vegas.

In addition to recording his own albums, de los Reyes recorded with artists in Cuba and the United States including Cuarteto Las D’Aída, Doris de la Torre, Tito Puente, Rolando La Serie, Rudy Calzado, Louie Bellson, Cachao, Alex Acuna, Tito Rodriquez, Chico O’Farrill, Jose Fajardo, Linda Ronstadt, and Steve Winwood.

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 with guitarist George Benson.

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, a group that fused Afro-Cuban beats with American big band sounds. De los Reyes Sr. went on to pioneer techniques that inspired generations of drummers as a musician and an educator. His diverse background and experience made him one of the most in-demand clinicians and educators in the country. He received recognition/awards including the Modern Drummer Festival 2005, Sabian Artist Lifetime Achievement Award 2006, SFjazz, and Drum Magazine Clinician of the Year 2014, and in 2017, he was the first recipient of Gon Bops’ Lifetime Achievement Award.

Announcing his father’s death, his son Walfredo Reyes said, “He was not only an incredible father, but also a mentor in music and in life. I told my dad, ‘I will always find you in my heart. You will always live there.’ My father was a teacher, an inspiration, and a light to countless percussionists, drummers, and musicians across the world. His spirit will always shine through my music, my drumming, my energy, and in everything I pass on to the next generation. 

“My dad loved sharing knowledge and turning people on to new possibilities. I can’t tell you how many times, after a clinic, someone would say to him, ‘I don’t have talent, I don’t have rhythm, but I love drums.’ And my dad would smile and say, ‘Really? Come over here, let me show you something…,’ and just like that, another student, another lover of rhythm, was born. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to everyone who has shared love, memories, and condolences with our family during this difficult time. His spirit, his rhythm will never stop.”