Sérgio Mendes, Brazilian Bossa Nova Legend, Dead at 83

Grammy-winning musician brought bossa nova to the mainstream with his band Brasil ’66

By DANIEL KREPS.

Sérgio Mendes last performed to sold out shows in Europe in November 2023. (AP: Chris Pizzello)

Sérgio Mendes, the Brazilian bossa nova legend who became a Grammy-winning international star with his band Brasil ’66, has died at the age of 83.

The musician’s family confirmed he died September 5 in a statement they shared with Rolling Stone on Friday, adding that Mendes “passed away peacefully” in Los Angeles surrounded by his family.

“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,” the family’s statement said. 

“One of the most internationally successful Brazilian artists of all time, Mendes recorded more than 35 albums, many of which went gold or platinum. Mendes, a three-time Grammy Award winner and Oscar nominee, leaves us with an incredible musical legacy from more than six decades of a unique sound first showcased by his band Brasil ’66.”

Born in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil in 1941, Mendes moved to the United States in the early Sixties after establishing his bossa nova prowess on his 1961 debut Dance Moderno as well as samba-influenced jazz LPs by Cannonball Adderley (1962’s Cannonball’s Bossa Nova, with Mendes on piano) and Herbie Mann (1962’s Do the Bossa Nova).

After signing to Atlantic Records, Mendes began a prolific streak of albums that saw him release at least one LP a year from 1964 to 1979, many of which were recorded with his backing band Brasil ’66. That group’s 1966 LP, Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66, established Mendes as an international star, landing in the Top 10 of U.S. album charts thanks to covers of songs by the Beatles (“Day Tripper”), Mendes’ mentor Antônio Carlos Jobim, Little Anthony and the Imperials’ “Going Out of My Head,” and most notably, a rendition of fellow Brazilian Jorge Ben’s classic “Mas Que Nada” that became one of Mendes’ most enduring tracks.

Mendes’ popularity peaked in the late Sixties when a string of his bossa nova covers of songs like the Beatles’ “The Fool on the Hill,” Simon and Garfunkel’s “Scarborough Fair,” and Dusty Springfield’s “The Look of Love” all reached the upper tier of the U.S. singles chart.

Decades later, “Mas Que Nada” served as a collaboration between Mendes and the Black Eyed Peas, whose Will.i.am produced two albums for Mendes, 2006’s Timeless and 2008’s Encanto. Both LPs were guest-filled affairs, featuring artists like Juanes, John Legend, Herb Albert, Natalie Cole, Q-Tip, Erykah Badu, Black Thought, and Justin Timberlake, who featured on “Loose Ends.”

A six-time Grammy nominee, Mendes won his lone trophy in 1993 when his Brasileiro was awarded Best World Music Album. Mendes was also nominated for a Best Original Song Academy Award in 2011 for “Real in Rio,” from the animated film Rio.

First published at Rolling Stone, September 6, 2024.