Researcher and Musicologist José Reyes Fortún Passed Away

March 22, 2025

Cuban researcher and musicologist José Reyes Fortún passed away today, according to the National Music Museum and the Research and Development Center for Cuban Music.

Recognized for his scientific rigor, Reyes Fortún was the author of fundamental works such as El Gran Tesoro de la Música Cubana, which won the Grand Cubadisco Prize in 2005, and Un siglo de discografía cubana (Ediciones Museo de la Música, 2018).

He dedicated his career to researching and compiling phonographic records of Cuban music.

Among his notable publications are La aguja en el surco: historias de la música cubana, as well as studies on figures such as Benny Moré, Odilio Urfé, and Ernesto Lecuona.

His collaboration with Jesús Gómez Cairo, director of the National Music Museum, was key to documenting Lecuona's complete discography.

In addition to his work as a researcher, he was a prominent member of Cuban freemasonry, achieving the 33rd degree, the highest rank in this organization.

The passing of José Reyes Fortún represents a significant loss for Cuban culture and the field of music research.