What was ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ actor Kamar de los Reyes’ cause of death?

Daredevil: Born Again paid tribute to a much-missed cast-member at the end of its two-part premiere, as the Disney Plus show’s second episode concluded with a dedication to actor Kamar de los Reyes. The Puerto Rican-born performer only just joined the MCU in this same episode as superhero Hector Ayala aka White Tiger.

Born on Nov. 8, 1967, in San Juan, de los Reyes had an extensive filmography that included credits in television shows like Valley of the Dolls, ER, Law & Order, CSI: Miami, The Mentalist, Blue Bloods, Castle, Kingdom, Sleepy Hollow, MacGyver, SEAL Team, and All American and the movies Fatherhood (1993), Nixon (1995), The Cell (2000), and Salt (2010).

However, he is best known for his roles as Antonio Vega on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live, which he played from 1995 until 2005, and the recurring antagonist Raul Menendez in four installments of the Call of Duty video game series, which he played from 2012 until 2022. Sadly, on Christmas Eve in 2023, in Los Angeles, California, de los Reyes died, at the age of just 56.

How did Kamar de los Reyes die?

According to People, a source close to Kamar de los Reyes’ family told the publication the actor died after a short battle with cancer. The exact type of the awful disease that cut his life so tragically short is yet to be publicly disclosed.

De los Reyes was still working on All American when he was diagnosed with cancer, and the show made time for a special farewell to him and his character Coach Montes (see above). Due to the hold-up in its release (the actor’s scenes were originally filmed in 2023), his turn in Daredevil: Born Again marks de los Reyes’ final screen performance.

“Kamar de los Reyes, who we lost, unfortunately, after filming ended, was just an incredible force,” said series producer Sana Amanat in an interview when discussing the actor’s impact on the show. “And we really hope that people will love him and love what he brought to it.” De los Reyes is set to appear in future episodes, with Amanat promising that he is a key part of the storyline as Hector’s arc across the nine-part season serves as “a really important reflection of even [protagonist] Matt’s personal journey.”

De los Reyes is the first person to portray White Tiger in live-action, a character who belongs in the superhero hall of fame for being Marvel’s very first leading Hispanic superhero in the comics. In the source material, Hector Ayala is succeeded as White Tiger by his niece Angela Del Toro and sister Ava Ayala, although it’s unclear if either character will be brought in to fill his shoes in the MCU.

The talented star is survived by his wife, fellow actress Sherri Saum (The Fosters, Beggars and Choosers, Sunset Beach), whom he met on the set of One Life to Live, their twin sons Michael and John, 9, and son Caylen, 26, from a previous relationship. His brothers Daniel and Walfredo, Jr., sisters Lily and Ilde, and parents Matilde and Walfredo also survive him. May he rest in peace.