Bossa Nova icon Sergio Mendes, known for 'Mas Que Nada,' passes away at 83
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Brazilian music legend Sergio Mendes, who helped catapult bossa nova onto the global stage in the 1960s with hits including "Mas Que Nada," died in Los Angeles at the age of 83, his family said Friday.
Mendes's family said that the composer and pianist "passed away peacefully" on Thursday in his LA home, surrounded by his wife and children.
"For the last several months, his health had been challenged by the effects of long-term COVID," the statement added.
The three-time Grammy winner, who trained as a classical pianist, arrived on the scene as bossa nova -- Brazil's silky mix of samba and jazz -- was taking the world by storm, popularised by Joao Gilberto's "The Girl From Ipanema" among other hits.
Mendes's mastery of jazz drew him to the attention of American saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, who chose Mendes's group "Sexteto Rio" to record his album "Cannonball's Bossa Nova" in 1963.
Three years later, Mendes became an international sensation in his own right with his album "Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66", which featured the now legendary "Mas Que Nada," his adaptation of a Jorge Ben standard.
Throughout his career, Mendes skillfully blended samba rhythms and jazz grooves with bossa nova harmonies and Californian pop to produce a deceptively simple but hugely popular style dismissed by some as "easy listening."
He recorded more than 35 albums in total and toured with some of America's jazz greats, including Frank Sinatra.
He continued touring as recently as 2023, playing gigs in Paris, London and Barcelona.
"Rest in peace, dear genius," Brazilian music legend Milton Nascimento, one of the first celebrities to react to Mendes's death, wrote on Instagram.
"We had many years of friendship, collaborations and music," Nascimento added.
In a 2014 AFP interview in Paris, Mendes described himself as being "very curious" and stressed that his musical influences were distinctly Brazilian.
"In Brazil, we have great cultural and musical diversity, ranging from the music of Bahia and Rio de Janeiro to classical music and African rhythms," he explained.
He is survived by his wife and musical partner of over half a century, Gracinha Leporace Mendes, and five children.