Yarelis Reyes Martínez, a prominent journalist and the director of Morón TV, a local television station in Ciego de Ávila, tragically passed away on Sunday morning due to a heart attack, according to sources from the province. Reyes was a founding member of this municipal television channel, where she previously served as the Deputy Director of Programming and News before taking on the role of general director.
Her career began in radio and television journalism, eventually leading her to head the youth and children's editorial departments at Radio Morón. Friends and colleagues have taken to social media to express their shock and grief over her sudden passing.
"It is with immense sadness that I received the news this morning of the passing of my colleague Yarelis Reyes, director of Morón TV. This is a significant loss for the journalism community. My deepest condolences to her family, friends, and especially to her colleagues Julita and Kenia," shared Ariel González Guzmán, a journalist with the Avileña Television's Primero de Enero bureau.
Another of Reyes' friends, Lázaro Efrén Álvarez De Ávila, a music researcher, reminisced about their time together on the board of CMIX Radio Morón. He described her as a "great friend and sister."
"I will always cherish the unforgettable and pleasant memories of her kindness and eloquence. She visited me often, and her voice is immortalized in many of my interviews and television reports for Morón TV and Ciego de Ávila province. Rest in peace, my dear friend and colleague. I'll forever remember our frequent phone calls to discuss new projects and ideas. EPD. You will never be forgotten, my beloved friend," he expressed on social media.
Numerous other messages have circulated in the comments sections of posts, where official media and fellow journalists mourn the untimely loss of the Avileña journalist.
Yarelis Reyes Martínez's passing adds to a tragic list of journalists who have died this year, including young journalists like Yurislenia Pardo Ortega from Camagüey, who passed away in January. Additionally, Cuban journalist Magda Iris Chirolde López, who served as the head of the news department at Canal Caribe, died in July at the age of 33. Earlier in June, journalist and writer Pedro de la Hoz passed away at the age of 71 in Havana after a prolonged battle with cancer.