It may have been short lived, but if you’re a retro nostalgia buff like me, then you probably look back fondly on the ’80s television show Sidekicks. The show revolved around an ordinary cop played by Buck Rogers actor Gil Gerard who takes a young martial arts master played by a young Ernie Reyes, Jr. under his wing to fight bullies and bad guys. Twenty-eight years have passed since Sidekicks went off the air, and it was only this past weekend that Reyes and Gerard reunited for the first time.
Reyes tweeted the photo above (also featuring Buck Rogers actor Felix Silla) to his fans after his time at the South Texas Collector’s Expo in Laredo, Texas this past weekend. Following Sidekicks Reyes went on to star and perform stunt work in such films as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II, Surf Ninjas, and The Rundown, and even as recently as his 2015 guest appearance on NCIS: Los Angeles.
Recently, however, Reyes has been in the fight for his life following a diagnosis of kidney failure that sent him to the hospital and has him on dialysis three days per week for four hours a day. There’s currently a GoFundMe set up by Ernie’s sister that is nearing its $75,000.00 goal for a kidney transplant. Despite his diagnosis, Ernie remains optimistic and it is great to see him reuniting with his old costar.
You can follow Ernie Reyes, Jr. and Gil Gerard on Twitter at @erniereyesjr and @gil_gerard. Consider making a donation to Ernie’s GoFundMe here.
