Brazilian musician Sérgio Mendes, who introduced bossa nova to an international audience in the 1960s, has died, his family announced on Friday.
According to a statement to USA TODAY, the Grammy winner died Thursday in Los Angeles surrounded by his children and his wife of 54 years, Gracinha Leporace Mendes. He was 83.
“International music icon Sergio Mendes, who brought the joyful sounds of his native Brazil to the world, passed away peacefully in Los Angeles on September 5, 2024,” his family said in a statement. “Mendes last performed to sold-out and enthusiastic crowds in Paris, London and Barcelona in November 2023.”
His family said Mendes had been suffering from health problems due to Long COVID in the months before his death.
Mendes leaves behind “an incredible musical legacy spanning more than six decades of a unique sound first presented by his band Brasil ’66,” his family said.
Sérgio Mendes: “Mas Que Nada” “was my first big breakthrough”
Mendes, a Grammy Award winner and Oscar nominee, is perhaps best known for the 1966 hit “Mas Que Nada.”
Musician Herb Alpert, who helped Mendes launch his international career, said in an Instagram post on Friday that Mendes was “a true friend and an extremely gifted musician who brought Brazilian music in all its forms to the world with elegance and joy.”
The two worked with Mendes’ band Brasil 66 on his debut album, “Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66.” The album spawned “Mas Que Nada,” a song that earned the band a spot on the music charts.
“It was the first time that a song in Portuguese was a hit in America and around the world,” he told NPR in 2014.
“This is the song that gave me my first big break,” Mendes added. “I still love playing it. I never got tired of it.”
In 1993, he received his first Grammy for “Brasileiro,” which won in the “Best World Album” category. His song “Real in Rio” also earned him an Oscar nomination in 2012.
John Legend also paid tribute to the musician by posting a comment under the Instagram post announcing Mendes’ death.
“We love you Sergio 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾,” he wrote.
Actor Elijah Wood shared a simple post on X (formerly Twitter) to say goodbye to Mendes: “Farewell, Sergio Mendes,” he wrote next to a black-and-white photo of the jazz musician.
Contributors: Anthony Boadle, ReuterS
