Gal Costa, Iconic Brazilian Singer, Dead at 77 – Action News Jax

RIO DE JANEIRO — Gal Costa, an iconic Brazilian singer who performed for six decades and was a key figure in the Tropicália movement of the late 1960s, died Wednesday. She was 77 years old.

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Costa’s death was confirmed by a press representative in The Associated Press and CNN. No other information was provided. Costa’s official social media the channels also shared news of his death.

The singer had been recovering from nasal surgery for three weeks, according to a press release, CNN reported.

Costa was scheduled to perform at the Primavera Sound festival in Sao Paulo last weekend but was canceled, according to CNN Brasil. His next concert was scheduled for December 17 in Sao Paulo, the PA reported.

Maria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos was born on September 26, 1945 in Salvador, Bahia, NPR reported. The northeast Brazilian state where she grew up also produced Brazilian music stars Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Maria Bethânia and Tom Zé, according to the outlet.

Costa and these musicians moved to Sao Paulo and fused traditional rhythms with psychedelic rock in the 1960s.

Costa lent his soprano voice to songs like “Aquarela do Brasil” (Watercolor of Brazil), “Dindi”, “Que Pena” (What a Shame) and his signature song, “Baby”, The Associated Press reported.

A self-taught singer, Costa said she had “no professional training” during a 1985 interview with the New York Times in 1985. “I didn’t study music and I don’t read music. I sing feeling.

“Gal Costa was among the best singers in the world, among our main artists to bring the name and the sounds of Brazil to the whole planet,” wrote Luiz Inácio da Silva, President-elect of Brazil, on Twitter. “His talent, his technique and his courage have enriched and renewed our culture, rocked and marked the lives of millions of Brazilians.”

Costa and Veloso’s 1967 debut, “Domingo”, borrowed from bossa nova, but the following year Costa was a featured singer on “Tropicália: ou Panis et Circencis”. NPR reported.

Costa received a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, according to the PA.

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