Sérgio Mendes, Brazilian Bossa Nova Musician, Dies of Long Covid at 83

Sérgio Mendes, the Brazilian-born musician who brought bossa nova music to a global audience in the 1960s, died on Thursday, Sept. 5, in a Los Angeles hospital. He was 83. The renowned musician’s family announced his death in a statement on his social media channels. His family said that his death was caused by effects of long Covid. "His wife and musical partner for the past 54 years, Gracinha Leporace Mendes, was by his side, as were his loving children," the statement read. "Mendes last performed in November 2023 to sold out and wildly enthusiastic houses in Paris, London and Barcelona." Throughout his six-decade career, Mendes recorded more than 35 albums, but he is best known for popularizing Brazilian music on a global stage beginning in the 1960s, starting with his composition of “Mas Que Nada.” "It was completely different from anything, and definitely completely different from rock ’n’ roll,” the Latin music scholar Leila Cobo said in the 2020 HBO documentary Sergio Mendes in the Key of Joy. “But that speaks to how certain Sérgio was of that sound. He didn’t try to imitate what was going on.” #news #entertainment #us #entertainmentnews #tending