It seems that life in Genoa City isn’t safe for anyone, including some of its most beloved inhabitants. Even though this applies to many characters of “The Young and The Restless” who have seen their lives in danger, some of them have found their fate in the hands of some villain, by destiny’s choice or were just written out of the show due to plot convenience.
What is the case for Rey Rosales? Why isn’t he in the show anymore, and who is responsible for it? Brace up for this recount of the latest drama surrounding our favorite Genoa City detective!
What Happened To Rey?
Just in case you haven’t been up to date with recent episodes of “The Young and The Restless”, it’s mandatory for you to know that unfortunately, Rey Rosales is no longer in the show, given the character was killed in a car crash as he drove towards Crimson Lights. Although Victoria Newman and Ashland Locke were in a different car, their closeness to Rey’s auto resulted in them being injured as well. Ashland managed to save Victoria only, and Rey’s supposed dead body was never shown on screen in the episode aired in April 2022.
It was revealed through Genoa City’s police reports that Rey had a heart attack while driving, which was the reason he lost control at the wheel, and subsequently died.
Theories About His Death
Given the suddenness of Rey’s death, it isn’t surprising to know that viewers create theories to fill the gap of information about what really happened to him. The first clue that something might not be right about Rey’s death was Ashland Locke’s involvement with it, seeing how he’s known for his schemes and villainous deeds. Prior to the airing of Rey’s demise, the website TV Season Spoilers reported that show’s fans theorized a confrontation between Rey and Ashland was to come, as he tried to protect Victoria in a mission given by her brother Victor, who suspected that Ashland could potentially harm her.
While such a thing hasn’t been proven true yet, other fan theories arose following the crash. The strongest one is regarding the cause of Rey’s heart attack, which some viewers point out could have resulted from the damage done by the poison with which Chelsea Lawson purposely made him sick in the year prior, according to The List. Said theory strengthened when Sharon, now Rey’s widow, affirmed that he didn’t have any known heart issues.
So far none of those theories have been denied or confirmed by “The Young And The Restless”, but the most hopeful fans think his death might have been faked and even if that sounds unlikely, it wouldn’t be the first time the show falsely kills a character, only for it to be revived later. After all, everything is possible in soap operas.
Sharon’s Reaction
Sadly, Sharon and Rey had only been married for a year at the time he was killed. The couple had gone through many issues, but their love remained strong and faithful regardless, which is something viewers deeply appreciated.
Rey and Sharon are literally ringing in the new year! 💍 Join the fun of the wedding guests and congratulate this newly married #YR couple. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/vbwNXcso3Z
— Young and Restless (@YandR_CBS) December 31, 2020
Rey and Sharon shared one last passionate kiss before he headed to his death behind the wheel, as he intended to attend the hockey game of Chelsea’s son Connor. However, Sharon felt something was wrong when her husband didn’t show up in time for a date a couple of hours later, and her worst fears became true when Nick Newman delivered the news, with her immediately breaking down after realizing it was true. Even though Nick had his suspicions about how far Ashland’s involvement in Rey’s death went, he confronted the sobbing Sharon.
Meanwhile, a puzzled Victoria can’t believe Rey is dead, after Ashland delivers the news to her. She persuades Ashland into telling her if she had somehow caused Rey’s death by driving too near, but her husband assures her that she wasn’t, and insists on taking her to the hospital, though Victoria refuses. Her guilt was visible throughout the scene and made Ashland’s actions more worthy of suspicions.
How Did His Family Take The Sad News?
Rey Rosales had some past issues with his family, especially with his brother Arturo. However, in spite of that, the Rosales family seemed to leave their hardships behind, as Arturo left the city with Mia, the mother of his unborn child and former wife of Rey.
While Rey also had some problems with his sister Lola related to the fact he hid the identity of her attacker from her, the siblings eventually made up. By the time of his death, Rey had no blood relatives in Genoa City, as Arturo, Lola and his mother Celeste had moved to Florida, so none of them were really shown on screen when the news about his passing broke. Sharon delivered the news to Celeste by ‘phone, and despite at first not agreeing to bury Rey in his native Miami, she ended up concurring with her mother-in-law’s request. She held a small memorial in Genoa City before heading to Miami to meet Rey’s family there, but neither scene was featured in the show.
Rey’s Character Beginnings
Even though Rey had an unfortunate and sudden end, his character was deeply loved by the audience from his debut in 2018. Although his job as a detective made him wary of everyone’s intentions in Genoa City, he soon got along with some people in his new town.
Rey’s character gained the audience’s hearts in a short time. Native of Miami, Rey’s family story was a heartbreaking one, as his father abandoned their family, and as a child, he was pushed to become a parental figure to his younger siblings, Arturo and newborn Lola. His bond was especially strong with Arturo, whom he usually saved from trouble as a young boy. The brothers met again upon Rey’s arrival in Genoa City, where Arturo had been living for several months prior, but despite their sister Lola’s attempts to make them reconnect, their issues were just too serious to cover up.
While Rey’s unrelenting attitude to finding the truth about the disappearance of Jeffrey Todd, Hellstrom soon marked him as a threat to the Newman family. Even though in the end Jeffrey’s plotline took an intense and unexpected turn, Rey remained in Genoa City upon finding love again there.
Mia’s Plotline
Introduced as Rey’s wife who stayed in Miami, Mia was set to start trouble from the start. While the audience suspected that she and Rey fell apart due to her not wanting to have children with him, it was later revealed that they actually split due to her cheating on him with his brother Arturo.
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Upon Mia’s arrival to Genoa City, Rey made up his mind to keep together his marriage with her as a way, to prevent committing the same mistakes of his father Andres. That also meant leaving behind his previously-growing feelings for Sharon Newman, whom he had actually kissed shortly before discovering Mia was back. Obviously enough, Mia becomes suspicious of Rey and Sharon’s bond, even though both agreed to be only friends, but she also had other issues to care about, such as her remaining feelings for Arturo, whom she slept with one night when Rey was away.
As her story with the Rosales brothers becomes messier, she attacks Lola Rosales after mistaking her for Abby Newman, the then-current fiancée of Arturo. Rey later finds out Mia was his sister’s attacker, but before he could arrest her, Mia revealed her pregnancy, and Rey was left with no option than to hide what she did.
Mia’s Departure and Lola’s Recovery
Ironically, Mia’s pregnancy had been a fabricated lie at first, but later became a reality even though she wasn’t sure which one of the Rosales’ brothers was the child’s father. Meanwhile, her relationship with Rey hit its lowest point, as he realized during the trial about Jeffrey Todd Hellstrom’s alleged murder that he loved Sharon.
After Mia revealed her second infidelity to Rey, he definitely cut ties with her. Soon afterwards, Lola recovered after obtaining a seemingly anonymous liver donor and moved in with Rey, but their relationship fell apart when she discovered he hid the fact Mia was her attacker. However, Lola decides against pressing charges against Mia and upon discovering Arturo is her baby’s father, they go back to Miami together, while Rey happily signs the divorce papers.
Relationship With Sharon
Sharon Newman was one of the first people with whom Rey connected following his arrival to Genoa City. Despite her initial wariness upon finding out that he had a gun, she soon lowered her guard after being told that he’s a detective, and even gave the police department free coffee as a reward for his help at fixing her shop’s plumbing. Their relationship grows to the point when he invites her to join the police department to help victims, to which she agrees.
As the case of Jeffrey Todd Hellstrom’s disappearance advances, Sharon and Rey develop romantic feelings for each other. However, just after they kiss for the first time, she discovered his then-wife Mia was back in the city, and he was committed to making things work that time. In spite of her heartbreak, Sharon agrees to remain friends with Rey.
Throughout the course of Hellstrom’s case, coming to an end, and the Newmans’ trial, Sharon discovers about Mia’s infidelity, but chooses to hide the secret. Meanwhile, Rey and Sharon do well at not betraying their friendship agreement, but their growing attraction and feelings result in a mutual confession prior to the trial.
Romance With Sharon
With their mutual feelings in the open, and having faced many hardships, Rey and Sharon took a chance at love and started dating in the 46th season. As their relationship progressed, Rey understood her past relationship with Adam Newman, just as she accepts that he might be welcoming a child with Mia, though in the end the father turns out to be Arturo.
Following their engagement and eventual wedding in the 47th season more issues followed, struggles such as dealing with Adam’s manipulative ways, Sharon’s daughter Faith’s emotional and physical problems, Rey’s growing concern regarding his wife reconnecting with Adam, and even his poisoning at the hands of Chelsea Lawson. However, by the time his story wrapped up in the 49th season, Rey and Sharon’s relationship was undeniably in a good place.
Who Played The Role?
Since his introduction to “The Young and The Restless” in 2018, Rey Rosales’ was played by Jordi Alejandro Vilasuso. The American actor of Cuban-ascent was born in Florida in 1981, starting his career in the late 1990s with small roles in series such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”.
His time to shine came in 2000 with his character Tony Santos in the drama “Guiding Light”, which catapulted him to fame, and won Jordi his first Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series in 2003, marking his last year in the show.
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Some of his most memorable characters have been Eddie Zarouvian in “Fashion House”, Diablo in the film “La Línea”, and as Leonardo in “Bodas De Sangre”. That being said, his most recognized role is undeniably was as Griffin Castillo in the soap opera “All My Children”, which he joined in 2010.
Castillo’s character was introduced as a cardiologist with the reputation of being a homewrecker. Nonetheless, as the story advances, Griffin proves to be helpful in solving the mystery surrounding Zach Slater’s death. Over the course of three years, Jordi appeared in 144 episodes of “All My Children”., and later in films such as the sci-fi “Circle” and in the drama show “Days of Our Lives”.
Opinion On Rey’s Death
While the death of Rey Rosales occurred unexpectedly on screen, the truth is that Jordi Vilasuso’s fans already knew his character was coming to an end. As it happened, Jordi had already announced his exit from the show in late March 2022, and though he didn’t reveal the exact way it would happen, he shared his gratefulness for his time in the show through a heartfelt message: ‘(it) was a beautiful chapter in my career, I was proud to represent my culture on daytime’s No. 1 drama, and work with an incredible cast and crew’, he wrote on his Instagram.
Regarding his favorite times in “The Young And The Restless”, Jordi confessed to Soaps.com that the main reason he felt passionate about playing Rey’s role was his drive to fight ‘for what he believed in’. Furthermore, Jordi revealed in his podcast “Making It Work”, that leaving the show wasn’t a decision he made, and his wife Kaitlin added: ‘the scripts that (he) was given were very minimal’.
Indeed, it isn’t hard to notice Rey’s decreased appearances in the latest “The Young And The Restless” seasons compared to his debut, but while that doesn’t make his fans happy, many are still hopeful of seeing his comeback to the show in some way or another.
