73-year-old man known as 'Pancho Claus' in Houston hospitalized after suffering heart attack

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The man known to generations of Houstonians as "Pancho Claus" says he's awaiting surgery after suffering a heart attack.

Richard Reyes told ABC13 that he went to the hospital after experiencing chest pains on Thursday.

"They told me today, this was a heart attack," Reyes said from his hospital bed Saturday evening. "This is my third heart attack."

Pancho Claus is known for passing out toys to underprivileged kids at Christmas, most notably in Houston's East End.

The 73-year-old said the tradition's footprint has grown as it enters its 44th season.

"We give out 20,000 presents each year," Reyes said. "We do it in Houston, but we also do it in several little towns in the Rio Grande Valley."

Reyes said he's confident this year's giveaways will take place, though he said things like manpower will be needed in order for that to happen.

"The easiest thing is to go to my Pancho Claus Facebook and leave a message," he said. "We need locations to put boxes, people to pick up the boxes, and we need people to wrap toy boxes and gift boxes."

Reyes said getting COVID-19 right before Christmas in 2020 taught him a valuable lesson about getting sick this time of year.

"I have a lot of faith in my community," Reyes said. "I really need my community to step up and to realize Richard Reyes is not Poncho Claus. They are."

Reyes said he's scheduled to undergo surgery on Monday.

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