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Brazilian musician Sérgio Mendes died in Los Angeles on September 5, 2024, aged 83. The Associated Press reported that he had battled the effects of long COVID for months, citing a statement from his family; his official artist timeline confirms his death date and age but does not state a cause.
What was reported about Sérgio Mendes’s death?
The Associated Press reported on September 6, 2024, that Mendes died in Los Angeles the previous day. Its account attributed the long COVID detail to his family’s statement: he had been battling the effects of long COVID for months. This is the family account reported by AP, not a separately stated medical determination of a precise cause of death. Read AP’s report via AARP.
AP also reported that his wife and musical partner of 54 years, Gracinha Leporace Mendes, was with him, along with their children. The family statement said his final performances took place in November 2023 in Paris, London, and Barcelona.
What was Sérgio Mendes known for?
Mendes was a Brazilian pianist, composer, arranger, and recording artist, born in Niterói on February 11, 1941, according to the Recording Academy. His international breakthrough was closely associated with Brasil ’66 and the recording of “Mas Que Nada.”
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Brasil ’66 and “Mas Que Nada”
“Mas Que Nada” was written by Jorge Ben. Mendes’s first A&M album, Herb Alpert Presents Sérgio Mendes & Brasil ’66, featured the group’s version. His official timeline says it became the first song sung entirely in Portuguese to reach the top five of the Billboard magazine pop chart in the United States. That milestone captures the unusual reach of a Portuguese-language recording in the American pop market.
Grammy recognition
The Recording Academy’s award table records Mendes’s 1993 Grammy win for Brasileiro in the Best World Music Album category. Its artist page lists one win and six nominations. Mendes’s official website instead describes him as a three-time Grammy winner, and the sources do not explain the difference; the specific 1993 award is the clearly identified milestone. See the Recording Academy profile.
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Later work in film
Mendes continued recording and collaborating across later decades. For the animated film Rio, he co-wrote “Real in Rio” with Siedah Garrett and Carlinhos Brown. The song received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. Mendes’s official site describes his career as spanning six decades and says he recorded more than 35 albums; those are the site’s own biographical figures.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to understand his career beyond one hit
“Mas Que Nada” and Brasil ’66 made Mendes widely recognizable, but they represent only one part of a long career. The 1993 Grammy for Brasileiro marks a later award milestone, while “Real in Rio” shows his continuing work in songwriting and film. The official site also documents the 2020 documentary Sergio Mendes: In the Key of Joy and reports its 2021 premiere on HBO services, followed by streaming on platforms including Peacock and iTunes. That is historical distribution information, not confirmation that the documentary is available on those services now.
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Mendes once described his life through a word he loved: “There’s a word in English that I love: Serendipity. That’s the story of my life.” The quote appears in his official biography.
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