Sergio Mendes: Brazilian music legend dies, aged 83

One of the biggest-selling Brazilian artists of all time, he scored a global hit with Mas Que Nada.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersBossa nova legend Sérgio Mendes diesGetty ImagesDuring the late 1960s, Sérgio Mendes was the biggest-selling Brazilian artist in the worldBrazilian musician Sérgio Mendes, who helped popularise bossa nova and samba with Western audiences, has died at the age of 83, his family has confirmed.

The bandleader and composer is best known for the buoyant Latin pop hit Mas Que Nada, and putting Brazilian twists on English songs such as The Look Of Love and The Beatles' The Fool On The Hill.

Mendes recorded more than 35 albums, many of which went gold or platinum in the US; and received an Oscar nomination in 2012 for co-writing the song Real in Rio from the animated film Rio.

A statement from his family said Mendes "passed away peacefully" on Thursday in Los Angeles, surrounded by his wife and children.

No official cause of death was given, however the family said Mendes had been suffering with long-term Covid, and the musician was known to have suffered respiratory problems since the end of 2023.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2ng6ng17no

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