Trigger warning: This article mentions death.
Sergio Mendes, a famous Brazilian musician who popularised bossa nova in the 1960s with his band Brasil ’66, has died at the age of 83. The popular musician’s family posted a statement on his social media account to confirm his demise. According to his family, he died due to prolonged COVID-19 illness.
“His wife and musical partner for the past 54 years, Gracina Leporace Mendes, was by his side, as were his beloved children,” the statement said. Mendes last performed in November 2023 to sold-out and extremely enthusiastic houses in Paris, London and Barcelona. “For the past several months, his health had been failing due to the effects of long-term Covid-19,” the statement said.
Sergio Mendes was born in Niterói on February 11, 1941. The young Mendes was encouraged by his father, a physician, to seek conservatory training in order to pursue a career as a classical pianist.
However, his passion for classical music faded as he got closer to Rio de Janeiro and fell in love with Brazilian and American jazz. He began performing in nightclubs in the late 1950s as his love for jazz grew, which coincided with the emergence of bossa nova, a jazz-influenced offshoot of samba.
He soon began performing in neighborhood trios and quartets and moved to the United States in 1962 with his band Brasil ’66. He gained fame with the 1967 hit song The Look of Love and the 1966 Portuguese-language single Mas Que Nada.
As his career progressed, he worked with many legendary artists, including Burt Bacharach, Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, Herb Albert and Quincy Jones. Never Gonna Let You Go, Night and Day and Scarborough Fair are some of his other great tracks.
In 2005, almost ten years later, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy. His album Bom Tempo earned him another Grammy for Brazilian Contemporary Pop Album of the Year five years later.
He also contributed to the music creation of the animated films Rio and Rio 2. Mendes was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song in 2012 for Real in Rio.
Mendes is survived by his wife Gracina Leporace, children Tiago and Gustavo, three children from his first marriage – Bernardo, Rodrigo and Isabella – and seven grandchildren.
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