On Thursday, the family of Sérgio Mendes announced that the international music icon passed away peacefully at 83 years old in his Los Angeles home after a long-term battle with COVID-19. At the time of his departure, Mendes was surrounded by his children and wife of 54 years, Gracinha Leporace. The popular Brazilian artist has been celebrated worldwide since the late 1960s as a leader of the Bossa nova movement. Over his 60-year career, he worked as a singer, pianist, composer, and producer.
The Story Of His Life
According to Sérgio Mendes’ website, serendipity and joy are the two common threads that weave through the collection of music he created throughout his career. One of the most successful Brazilian artists worldwide, Mendes recorded 35 albums, won three Grammys, and was nominated for an Oscar for songwriting in 2011.
Mendes’ life was the subject of the 2020 documentary Sérgio Mendes: In the Key of Joy. The trailer for the film begins with the same quote from Mendes that the artist’s website uses: “There is a word in English that I love: serendipity. That is the story of my life.”