How “All American” bid farewell to Kamar de los Reyes' Coach Montes

De los Reyes died in December 2023 from cancer.

Monday's episode of All American bid an emotional farewell to the late Kamar de los Reyes and his character, Coach Montes.

Season 6's "Mass Appeal" episode revealed that de los Reyes' football coach has taken a job with the NFL, wrapping up the character's storyline. Coach Montes, who only appeared in this season's series premiere, shares an offscreen phone call with Asher Adams (Cody Christian), who largely kept his distance from his mentor throughout the episode to avoid the dreaded goodbye. The characters shared a close bond throughout the series.

Related: Michael Easton recalls holding One Life to Live costar Kamar de los Reyes' hand on actor's deathbed

The episode concluded with the phone call between the two before an "in loving memory" tribute card for de los Reyes flashed on the screen.

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De los Reyes, beloved for his roles on One Life to Live and Call of Duty, died on Christmas Eve in 2023 from cancer. He was 56.

The actor made his debut on the CW sports drama — centered on high school football player (Daniel Ezra) as he transfers from South Crenshaw High to a new school and team in Beverly Hills — in 2022, during season 4. The season 6 premiere was the only episode de los Reyes filmed before his death. The series was recently renewed for season 7.

In recent conversation with TVLine, Christian said he and the late de los Reyes shared an offscreen relationship that mirrored their mentor/mentee dynamic on the show. "Just in those two-and-a-half years, I went through hell and back in my own life. Kamar was acting as a real-life coach for me many, many times," Christian said. "We would shoot all day and then spend a couple hours after shooting, just talking and catching up on life. I relied on him a lot.”

Related: All American showrunner explains the time jump in season 6 premiere

"Just to have the opportunity to go in and work with him within those circumstances, to give him the respect and flowers he deserved, was a moment I’ll never forget,” Christian added.

New episodes of All American premiere Mondays on The CW.

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