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Rafael Reyes (Leafar Seyer) Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 1, 2026 • 4 min read

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Quick Info

Date of birth2 August 1975

Age47 Years (as of 2022)

BirthplaceCotija, Michoacan, Mexico

ProfessionSinger; Painter; Author; Restaurateur

NationalityAmerican

Marital statusMarried

SpouseKat Von D

FamilySon - Leafar Von D Reyes; Daughter - Pamela; Father - Alphonso Alvarez Reyes (died 22 December 2005); Brother - Carlos Reyes; Sister - Lupita Reyes (twin)

Rafael Reyes (Leafar Seyer) Biography

Rafael Reyes, known professionally as Leafar Seyer, is a Mexican-born American artist whose work spans music, painting, writing and restaurateurship. He is

Early life and background
Rafael Reyes was born on August 2, 1975, in Cotija, Michoacán, Mexico. When he was four years old his family moved to San Diego, California. The family’s immigration status was initially irregular; they later received amnesty and a permanent green card.

Reyes grew up in San Diego and attended Pacific Beach High School. He has described roots from both sides of his family — Jewish ancestry on his father’s side and Native ancestry on his mother’s side. During his teens he became involved with the Sherman 27th Street Grant Hill Park gang after a conflict between his father and local gang members. That period of his life influenced his later creative work.

Career
Reyes has pursued multiple creative and business ventures. In his late teens he and his father opened Pokez, a San Diego restaurant focused on vegan and vegetarian Mexican food. The restaurant operated for 18 years; Reyes sold it to his younger brother in 2005 following his father’s death. He has cited a particular fondness for a tofu–potato–mushroom taco that was served there.

Parallel to his work in food, Reyes developed a music career under the stage name Leafar Seyer — his given name spelled backwards. He formed early bands including Baptism of Thieves and Vampire. Later he partnered with Dave Parley to create the musical project Prayers. Prayers’ first full-length release was D Killwave in 2013, followed by the EP Gothic Summer in 2014. In 2022 the band released two albums, Young Gods Never Die and Chologoth. Reyes has also recorded and performed as Nite Ritual.

Musically he draws from Goth, electronic, Chicano rock and hip hop, and he is credited with helping pioneer a style described as Chologoth. His lyrics often reflect themes from street life and his upbringing. Reyes performs on guitar, synthesizer and keyboard.

Alongside music, Reyes turned to visual art and authorship. After serving a sentence related to an assault conviction, he refocused on creative output and wrote a memoir titled Living Dangerously, which recounts his childhood and gang experiences; the book is included in the Architecture and Planning Special Collections at Cornell University Library. His artwork has appeared at events such as the LA Art Show in 2015 in a presentation called Dark Progressivism: Metropolis Rising. In 2017 his sculpture Southland was shown at the Lancaster Museum of Art and History as part of Dark Progressivism: The Built Environment.

Reyes has also organized collaborators from his past into new projects. He founded a collective called Diamond Dogs composed of former gang members who channel their experiences into art and music, a step he has described as part of leaving gang life behind.

Public profile
Reyes is married to tattoo artist Kat Von D; the couple married on February 2, 2018. They have a son, Leafar Von D Reyes. Reyes also has a daughter named Pamela. His father was Alphonso Alvarez Reyes, who died on December 22, 2005. He has a brother, Carlos Reyes, and a twin sister, Lupita Reyes.

Physically Reyes is described as approximately 178 cm (5'10") tall and weighing about 75 kg (165 lbs). His listed eye color is black and his hair is recorded as bald. He has a number of tattoos and piercings and has at times incorporated symbolic and occult themes into his paintings and public persona. He is an American national.

Legal matters and turning points
Reyes’ life has included legal challenges connected to an assault incident for which he was sentenced to six months in jail. The conviction resulted in two strikes under California’s three-strikes law. After serving his sentence he redirected his energies toward art, music and writing, channels that became central to his public identity.

Latest updates
In recent years Reyes has continued releasing music with Prayers and producing visual art for exhibitions. The band’s 2022 releases, Young Gods Never Die and Chologoth, reflect his ongoing work blending musical genres and themes drawn from both esoteric and Mesoamerican influences.

Reyes remains active across disciplines—recording, exhibiting and collaborating with other artists—while maintaining a public profile tied to his creative reinvention.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Rafael Reyes (Leafar Seyer), send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded

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Recent Work

Young Gods Never Die

Album released with Prayers in 2022

2022
Chologoth

Album released with Prayers in 2022

2022
D Killwave

Album released with Prayers in 2013

2013
Gothic Summer

EP released with Prayers in 2014

2014
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Career Highlights

  1. Co‑founder of Prayers and creator of music under the name Leafar Seyer
  2. Founder of Pokez, a vegan/vegetarian Mexican restaurant in San Diego, operated for 18 years
  3. Author of Living Dangerously, included in Cornell University Library special collections
  4. Exhibited visual art at the LA Art Show (2015) and Lancaster Museum of Art and History (2017)
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Rafael Reyes (Leafar Seyer) born?

Rafael Reyes (Leafar Seyer) was born on 2 August 1975.

What is Rafael Reyes (Leafar Seyer) known for?

Rafael Reyes (Leafar Seyer) is known for singer; Painter; Author; Restaurateur.

What is Rafael Reyes (Leafar Seyer)’s marital status?

Rafael Reyes (Leafar Seyer)'s marital status is listed as Married.

Who is Rafael Reyes (Leafar Seyer) married to?

Rafael Reyes (Leafar Seyer) is publicly listed as married to Kat Von D.