Sérgio Mendes, a titan of Brazilian music, “passed away peacefully” on September 5 in Los Angeles, aged 83.
According to a statement on his Facebook page, “His wife and musical partner for the past 54 years, Gracinha Leporace Mendes, was by his side, as were his loving children… For the last several months, his health had been challenged by the effects of long term Covid.”
Originally trained as a classical pianist, Mendes was at the forefront of Brazil’s bossa nova boom of the late 1950s alongside his mentor Antônio Carlos Jobim.
After recording with Cannonball Adderley and Herbie Mann, Mendes moved to Los Angeles where he eventually formed the bilingual group Brasil ’66, featuring singers Lani Hall and Bibi Vogel. Their debut album Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 went platinum in the US.
In 1968, the group scored consecutive Top 20 hits with bossa nova covers of “The Look Of Love”, “The Fool On The Hill” and “Scarborough Fair”, turning Mendes into a global ambassador for Brazilian music. He went on to make over 40 studio albums, the most recent being 2020’s In The Key Of Joy.
“Sergio Mendes was my brother from another country,” wrote Herb Albert on Instagram. “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.”