The New Minstrels’ Louie Reyes dies

MANILA, Philippines – Veteran jazz singer Louie Reyes died, fellow artist Ivy Violan confirmed on Sunday, October 26.

“The Philippine Music Industry celebrates the life of our dear Ms. LOUIE REYES. No goodbyes just the best hello to a very very dear friend and colleague,” Violan wrote on Facebook.

“Today, I lost the love of my life,” Reyes’ husband, Cesar de la Fuente, said in a comment under Violan’s tribute post.

Reyes and De la Fuente wed in 1979, and had just celebrated their 46th anniversary in January this year.

Reyes was a musician through and through, first taking up Music Education at the College of the Holy Spirit in Manila.

De la Fuente had co-founded The New Minstrels, an all-male show band that would perform covers of global hits to Filipino audiences. Not long after, the group welcomed female artists, with Joey Albert and Reyes, among others, later joining the lineup.

In 1991, Reyes would go on to release her own album, It’s Time, consisting of songs like “Body and Soul,” “Please Don’t Go,” and “Out of Words.”

She later migrated to the US in 1999, according to a report from Philstar.

Reyes is survived by De la Fuente and her children. – Rappler.com