Pepe Villalobos: key obituary facts
Is Pepe Villalobos dead? Yes. Pepe Villalobos died on July 31, 2026, at age 96.
Cause of death: Pepe Villalobos's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Pepe Villalobos known for?
He was a Peruvian musician and composer.
More about Pepe Villalobos
Pepe Villalobos, the Peruvian musician and composer known as José Villalobos Cavero and popularly called the Rey del Festejo, died on July 31, 2026, aged 96.
Born in Barrios Altos, Lima, he specialized in Peruvian Creole music and Afro-Peruvian music, and became associated with several popular Afro-Peruvian songs written during the 1960s and 1970s. Villalobos also used his early training in Lima’s musical circles to build a career that combined performance, composition and research, and he performed internationally with musicians including Óscar Avilés and his cousin, Zambo Cavero.