Sérgio Mendes, Brazilian musician who helped popularize bossa nova, dies at 83

Brazilian musician Sérgio Mendes, who brought bossa nova to international audiences in the 1960s, has died, his family said Friday.

According to a statement shared with USA TODAY, the Grammy winner died Thursday in Los Angeles surrounded by his children and his wife of 54 years, Gracinha Leporace Mendes. He was 83.

"International music icon Sergio Mendes, who brought the joyous sounds of his native Brasil to the world, passed away peacefully on September 5, 2024 in Los Angeles," his family's statement read. "Mendes last performed in November 2023 to sold out and wildly enthusiastic houses in Paris, London and Barcelona."

His family said Mendes had experienced health challenges due to long COVID in the months before his death.

Mendes leaves "an incredible musical legacy from more than six decades of a unique sound first showcased by his band Brasil ’66," his family said.

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Sérgio Mendes: 'Mas Que Nada' 'gave me my first big break'

A Grammy award winner and Oscar nominee, Mendes is perhaps best known for the 1966 hit “Mas Que Nada."

Musician Herb Alpert, who helped Mendes launch his international career, said in a Friday Instagram post that Mendes was "a true friend and extremely gifted musician who brought Brazilian music in all its iterations to the entire world with elegance and joy."

The two worked on Mendes' debut album with his band Brasil 66, "Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66." The record resulted in "Mas Que Nada," a track that earned the band a spot on the music charts.

"It was the first time that a song in Portuguese was a hit in America and all over the world," he told NPR in 2014.

"That's the song that gave me my first big break," Mendes added. "I still love playing it. I never got tired of it."

In 1993, he earned his first Grammy for "Brasileiro," which won in the best world album category. His song "Real in Rio" also earned him an Oscar nod in 2012.

John Legend also paid tribute to the musician by posting a comment under the Instagram post announcing Mendes' death.

"We love you Sergio 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾" he wrote.

Actor Elijah Wood shared a simple post on X, formerly Twitter, to bid adieu to Mendes: "Farewell, Sergio Mendes," he wrote alongside a black-and-white photo of the jazz musician.

Contributing: Anthony Boadle, Reuters