Pio Leyva, 88; Cuban Singer Appeared With Buena Vista Social Club

Pio Leyva, 88, a leading figure in Cuban music who gained broader international recognition through his association with the Buena Vista Social Club, died of a heart attack Thursday in Havana. He had suffered a stroke March 19.

Leyva was born Wilfredo Leiva Pascual in Cuba’s Camaguey province and entered the world of music at a young age. He won a bongo contest at 6 and went on to sing with legends of Cuban music, including Bene More and Bebo Valdes.

Leyva signed a recording contract with RCA Victor in 1950 and made more than 25 albums.

His work with the late Compay Segundo, perhaps the best-known member of the Buena Vista Social Club, dated from the early 1950s.

They hooked up again in the late 1990s when the group was formed.

Although Leyva was not on the original “Buena Vista Social Club” album in 1997, he was with the group in Wim Wenders’ documentary about the ensemble and on an international tour.