Sergio Mendes, Who Helped Bring Bossa Nova to the Global Mainstream, Dead at 83

Brazilian musician Sergio Mendes has died at age 83, his family confirmed in a statement. Along with his band, Brasil ’66, Mendes helped bring bossa nova music to the global mainstream in the 1960s. According to his family, Mendes “passed away peacefully” at his home in Los Angeles.

“His wife and musical partner for the past 54 years, Gracinha Leporace Mendes, was by his side, as were his loving children,” the statement reads, per a report from The Guardian. “Mendes last performed in November 2023 to sold out and wildly enthusiastic houses in Paris, London and Barcelona,” they said. “For the last several months, his health had been challenged by the effects of long-term Covid.”

Mendes’ contemporaries, friends, and other artists in the genre paid their respects on social media and to news outlets. Singer-songwriter Marcos Valle told GloboNews, “[Mendes] was an ambassador for popular Brazilian music, in all of its different dimensions.” Singer Milton Nascimento wrote on Instagram, “There were so many years of friendship, partnership and music – and he will be with me for ever, in my heart.”

Legendary Bossa Nova Musician Sergio Mendes Dies at 83

American trumpeter Herb Alpert paid respects to Sergio Mendes as well. Alpert helped Mendes launch his career internationally, bringing his music to America and all over the world.

“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,” Alpert wrote on Instagram.

Sergio Mendes started playing piano at a young age, and while his father initially encouraged him to follow his footsteps into medicine, he changed his mind when he realized how passionate his son was for music, particularly jazz. Mendes got his start in Rio when bossa nova was beginning to branch out internationally, and was in the right place with the right talent at the right time.

In the early 1960s, Mendes became a frequent collaborator of American jazz greats like Cannonball Adderley and Herbie Mann. In 1964, Mendes signed with Capitol Records and formed his band, initially called Brasil ’65. However, low album sales led the band to recruit two English singers and change the name to Brasil ’66. The next album was produced by Herb Alpert, which helped the band reach a global audience.

In a 2005 interview, per The Guardian report, Mendes spoke at length about bossa nova music, revealing the beauty of the genre. “You can relate to it in an organic way,” he said. “It makes you dream and it makes you feel good. It’s very rhythmical so you can dance to it, and it has haunting melodies that you take to bed with you, so you can hum and whistle them.”

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