Sérgio Mendes, Brazilian Bossa Nova musician, died of Long Covid at the age of 83

Sérgio Mendes, the Brazilian-born musician who introduced bossa nova music to a worldwide audience in the 1960s, died on Thursday, September 5, in a Los Angeles hospital. He was 83 years old.

The family of the famous musician announced his death in a statement on his social media channels. His family said his death was due to the effects of Long Covid.

“His wife and musical partner of the past 54 years, Gracinha Leporace Mendes, was by his side, as were his beloved children,” the statement said. “Mendes last performed to sold-out and enthusiastic crowds in Paris, London and Barcelona in November 2023.”

Over the course of his sixty-year career, Mendes has recorded more than 35 albums, but he is best known for popularizing Brazilian music around the world starting in the 1960s with his composition “Mas Que Nada.”

“It was totally different from anything else and definitely totally different from rock'n'roll,” said Latin music expert Leila Cobo in the 2020 HBO documentary Sergio Mendes in “The Key of Joy”“But that shows how sure Sérgio was of that sound. He didn't try to imitate what happened.”

Mendes was born in Niteroi, Brazil in 1941. According to his website, he studied classical music in his youth and developed a love of jazz after hearing the Dave Brubeck Quartet's record “Take Five.”

He soon began playing in local trios and quartets before moving to the United States with his group Brasil '66 in 1962. Their 1966 Portuguese-language single “Mas Que Nada” and their 1967 hit “The Look of Love” brought them recognition.

Throughout his career, he worked with several superstars, from Herb Albert, Frank Sinatra and Quincy Jones to Burt Bacharach and Stevie Wonder. His other unforgettable songs include “Scarborough Fair,” “Night and Day” and “Never Gonna Let You Go.”

Albert published a tribute to his deceased friend on his Facebook page: “He was a true friend and an extremely talented musician who brought Brazilian music in all its forms to the whole world with elegance and joy…”

In 1992 he released the album Brazilianwhich took him back to his Brazilian roots and earned him the Grammy for Best World Music Album. In the following decade, he collaborated with even more artists, including the Black Eyed Peas, Erykah Badu, John Legend, Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams.

A little over a decade later, in 2005, he received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy. Five years later, his album Bom Tempo earned him another Grammy for his contemporary Brazilian pop album.

He has made his Brazilian bossa nova music available not only to contemporary artists but also to film soundtracks. In 2012 he received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for “Real in Rio” from the animated film Rio.

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He leaves behind his wife Gracinha Leporace, with whom he was married for 50 years, their two children Tiago and Gustavo, his three older children from his first marriage, Bernardo, Rodrigo and Isabella, and seven grandchildren.