Sérgio Mendes, illustrious innovator of bossa nova and '60s tropicalia, has died. He was 83.
The Brazilian musician passed away at his home in Los Angeles after enduring the lasting effects of long COVID, according to a statement from his family.
"His wife and musical partner for the past 54 years, Gracinha Leporace Mendes, was by his side, as were his loving children," they wrote. "Mendes last performed in November 2023 to sold-out and wildly enthusiastic houses in Paris, London and Barcelona. For the last several months, his health had been challenged by the effects of long-term COVID."
Mendes and his band Brasil '66 helped break bossa nova worldwide with hits — including their version of Jorge Ben's "Mas que Nada" — from their Herb Alpert-produced 1966 debut Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66, which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011.
The musician really burst into the mainstream when he performed Dusty Springfield's Oscar-nominated song, "The Look of Love," on the 1968 Academy Awards telecast. Brasil '66's rendition subsequently peaked at No. 4 on the US charts, eclipsing Springfield's original soundtrack recording for Casino Royale. In 2012, Mendes himself got a Best Original Song nomination for co-writing "Real in Rio" from the animated film Rio.