Editing Ray Reyes

{{Short description|Puerto Rican singer (1970–2021)}}
{{about||the Filipino politician|Ray T. Reyes}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{family name hatnote|Reyes|León|lang=Spanish}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| honorific_prefix = 
| name             = Ray Reyes
| honorific_suffix = 
| image            = Ray Reyes, Menudo.jpg
| image_upright    = 
| image_size       = 
| landscape        = 
| alt              = 
| caption          = 
| background       = 
| native_name      = 
| native_name_lang = 
| birth_name       = Ray Reyes Léon
| alias            = 
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1970|3|13}}
| birth_place      = [[New York City, NY]]
| death_date       = April 30, 2021 (aged 51)
| death_place      = [[Toa Baja, Puerto Rico]]
| genre            = Latin pop, rock
| occupation       = Singer, producer
| instrument       = Vocals
| years_active     = 1983–2021
| label            = 
| associated_acts  = [[Menudo (group)|Menudo]], [[El Reencuentro]], Proyecto M
| website          = 
}}

'''Ray Reyes León''' (March 13, 1970 – April 30, 2021) was a Puerto Rican singer who was a member of the [[Puerto Ricans|Puerto Rican]] boy band [[Menudo (band)|Menudo]].

==Career==
He was born in New York City and was raised in [[Levittown, Puerto Rico|Levittown]], a neighborhood in [[Toa Baja, Puerto Rico]], the son of Ramon Reyes and Carmen Leon.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z67YpFmAcY|title=Gugu Liberato entrevista Ray Reyes, direto de Orlando/USA -Programa Viva a Noite -SBT -1984.|via=www.youtube.com}}</ref> He became a member of [[Menudo (band)|Menudo]] in early 1983. Reyes came to substitute [[Xavier Serbiá]] in the band, and joined the band right in the middle of Menudo's golden era.

Reyes amassed great popularity among Menudo fans, although he was known as the ''chubby one'' of the band. That nickname was started because, when he joined Menudo, [[Edgardo Diaz]] put him on a strict diet. That information was leaked out to all gossip magazines, which published the information immediately.

Ray's first album with Menudo was 1983's [[A Todo Rock]], where he sang lead vocals on "Si Tu No Estas", "Chicle De Amor", and "Zumbador". He continued through the time when Menudo had the number 1 hit ''Indianapolis'' from the same album and when Menudo started making it to the covers of [[Tiger Beat]] and other major teen magazines, and also when Menudo became famous in Brazil, the [[Philippines]], and Japan.

His next 3 albums recorded as a member of the band were all recorded in 1984. ''[[Reaching Out (Menudo album)|Reaching Out]]'' was the first one of '84 and the band's first album in English. Ray sang lead vocals on "That's What You Do". ''Mania'' was the second album of '84 and the band's first album in Portuguese. Ray sang lead vocals on "Quero Ser". ''Evolución'' was the third album of '84, it was also the last album recorded in 1984. Ray sang lead vocals on "Persecución" and "Yo No Fui". It was also Ray's last album recorded as a member of Menudo.

Ray was forced to leave the band after only 2 years in the group due to a sudden growth spurt. In 1986, the solo album ''Una Y Otra Vez'' was released in Spanish and the album ''Minha Musica'' in Portuguese. In 1988, he joined former Menudos [[Rene Farrait]] and [[Johnny Lozada]] in [[Proyecto M]], once again substituting Serbiá. Proyecto M went on to enjoy great success in [[Puerto Rico]] and [[Venezuela]].

In 1997 he came up with the idea of doing an ex Menudos' concert and reunited 6 of the golden era with former Menudo bandmates Miguel Cancel, Ricky Melendez, Charlie Massó and Johnny Lozada as well as Farrait for a single concert named [[El Reencuentro]] in the Roberto Clemente Coliseum (12,000 capacity) in [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]]. The concert did so well, that they finished doing 7 shows in two weekends and then went on a worldwide tour. They also had the record of most performances in that coliseum with 11 concerts.<ref name="Lannert">{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XA0EAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Ray+Reyes%22+menudo&pg=PA47|title=Latin notas|last=Lannert|first=John|date=May 2, 1998|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|page=47|accessdate=August 6, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Vibe">{{cite book | title=Los Spice boys| date=November 1998 | publisher=Vibe Media Group | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jisEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA128 | access-date=June 14, 2020 | pages=125–128}}</ref> He produced their [[Gold certification|gold-certified]] live album [[El Reencuentro: 15 Años Después]] released by [[Fonovisa Records]].

==Personal life==
Ray Reyes married twice and had a son, Marcos Reyes, and a daughter, Cecilia Reyes. His father, Rey Reyes Sr., ran several successful business ventures. His younger brother Raul Reyes, who was his lifetime musical collaborator, also participated by recording backing vocals, helping the group in several TV Commercials, Menudo TV Specials and the record productions, ''A Todo Rock'', ''Menudo Mania'', ''Reaching Out'', and ''Evolucion'' as well with Proyecto M & El Reencuentro productions. He had a career as lead singer of Puerto Rican rock band [[Radio Pirata]].

Per the documentary 'Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed,' prior to his death, Reyes was working to expose the years of child sexual abuse allegedly committed against dozens of young boys by Menudo founder Edgardo Diaz, which also allegedly involved RCA executive José Menendez, who, along with his wife, Kitty, was later slain by his sons Lyle and Erik after many years of alleged child sexual abuse committed against them.

==Death==
On April 30, 2021, Ray Reyes died in Puerto Rico.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.elnuevodia.com/entretenimiento/farandula/notas/fallece-ray-reyes-miembro-del-grupo-menudo-en-la-epoca-dorada-de-la-agrupacion-juvenil/|title = Confirman que Ray Reyes de Menudo falleció de un infarto en su casa|date = May 2021}}</ref> Reyes was the second member of Menudo to die; [[Anthony Galindo]], the first, preceded him by six months.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/music/anthony-galindo-ibarra-dead/|title = Former Menudo Singer Anthony Galindo Ibarra Dies at 41, Days After Suicide Attempt}}</ref> Reyes died of a massive heart attack.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.primerahora.com/entretenimiento/farandula/notas/revelan-causa-de-muerte-del-ex-menudo-ray-reyes/|title=Revelan causa de muerte del ex Menudo Ray Reyes|date=May 2021}}</ref>

== Discography ==
=== With Menudo ===
* ''[[A Todo Rock]]'' (1983)
* ''[[Reaching Out (Menudo album)|Reaching Out]]'' (1984)
* ''[[Mania (Menudo album)|Mania]]'' (1984)
* ''[[Evolución (Menudo album)|Evolución]]'' (1984)

=== As a solo artist ===
* ''Una Y Otra Vez'' (1986) (in Spanish)
* ''Minha Musica'' (1986) (in Portuguese)

=== With Proyecto M ===
* ''Proyecto M 2'' (1989)
* ''Arde que me quemas'' (1991)
* ''Si No Estás   Conmigo'' (1993)

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Portal|Puerto Rico|Biography}}
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=eQ0EAAAAMBAJ&q=Ray&pg=PA70 "Billboard Latin Music Conference Celebrates 10 Years"] [[Billboard Magazine]] May 8, 1999, page 70 
* {{Discogs artist|Ray Reyes (4)}}
* {{IMDb name|id=4810757}}

{{Menudo|state=autocollapse}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Reyes, Ray}}
[[Category:1970 births]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:Menudo (band) members]]
[[Category:Singers from New York City]]
[[Category:People from Toa Baja, Puerto Rico]]
[[Category:Puerto Rican musicians]]