Early life
Luisito Rey was the son of Rafael Gallego Rey, a flamenco singer turned electrician, and Matilde Sánchez Repiso, a singer and dancer. His siblings are Vicente, nicknamed Tito, and Mario. Mario Vicente Gallego was born in 1942, has 4 children, and was married to Rosa Barbarito before he died. From an early age he had a penchant for singing, composing, and playing the guitar. His natural talent helped him to get out of Spain and travel through many countries, including Argentina, where he met his life companion, Italian model Marcela Basteri. His artistic name was originally ''Luisito Gasán'' (combining the first syllables of his father's and mother's last name). He later settled for Luisito Rey, Luisito being the diminutive of Luis and Rey being his father's maternal surname. A bullfighter fan, his favorite toreador was Luis Miguel González Lucas, better known asReputation
Luisito Rey's reputation as a solid artist and able manager was greatly tarnished by the revelations of many of his acquaintances. Some, like Luis Miguel's godfather, renowned Puerto Rican psychologist Alfred D. Herger, have described him as a psychopath and abuser. Years earlier, Rey's brother Vicente stated that Rey would sometimes prostitute Luis Miguel's mother Marcela Basteri for drug binges. Dominican-born Mexican actor and family friend Andrés García revealed that Rey had taken advantage of him by asking to stay in an apartment which García was paying for a female friend. Despite constant promises, Rey never reimbursed any of the rent to García. Keeping with custom, Luis Miguel has said nothing publicly about his relationship with his father. Rey once stated that Pablo Picasso painted a small sketch of him, used in one of his greatest hits albums, and that singer Frank Sinatra was interested in recording ''La Gran Ciudad''. None of these events were actually true.References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rey, Luisito 1945 births 1992 deaths People from Cádiz Singers from Andalusia Latin music songwriters Spanish composers Spanish male composers Spanish singer-songwriters 20th-century Spanish male singers 20th-century Spanish singers