Brazilian Pop Pioneer Sérgio Mendes Dies at Age 83
Brazilian composer, arranger and pianist Sérgio Mendes, who brought bossa nova music to a global audience, died peacefully on Sept. 6 in Los Angeles. He was 83.
According to a statement put out by his family, Mendes died following several months of poor health caused by the effects of long-term Covid. “His wife and musical partner for the past 54 years, Gracinha Leporace Mendes, was by his side, as were his loving children,” reads the statement.
His longtime friend and collaborator Herb Albert shared on Instagram: “He was a true friend and extremely gifted musician who brought Brazilian music in all its iterations to the entire world with elegance [and] joy,” with a throwback photo of the two.
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Born in 1941, Mendes got his musical start as a teen playing in Rio nightclubs in the 1950s as a protégé of Brazilian superstar Antônio Carlos Jobim, before striking out on his own with his band Brasil ’66. The group’s first album, 1966’s Herb Alpert Presents Sérgio Mendes & Brasil ’66, went platinum, and they toured with Alpert that year, launching Mendes to success. Their most popular hit was “Mas Que Nada.” He was one of Brazil’s most influential artists in the ’60s and became an international bossa nova ambassador by the ’70s. Mendes, along with common collaborator Alpert, scored a litany of pop hits throughout the decades. Other big names he worked with were Quincy Jones, Burt Bacharach, Frank Sinatra and Stevie Wonder.
Mendes released more than 35 albums, many of which went gold or platinum, and won three Grammy Awards; he was also nominated for an Oscar for “Real in Rio,” a song he created in collaboration with John Legend for the 2011 animated film Rio. Mendes last performed in November 2023 to sold-out venues in Paris, London and Barcelona, and worked with many current pop stars over the years, like Black Eyed Peas and Justin Timberlake.
He is survived by wife Gracinha Leporace Mendes and their five children.
Pop Music Legends
August 2017
Dedicated to the sights, sounds and stories of the golden age of pop.
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