Gal Costa, a Brazilian musician who was a key figure in the 1960s Tropicalia movement in Brazil, passed away on Wednesday. She had a 77-year-old age.
Her press team informed CNN affiliate, CNN Brasil, that she had passed away. A brief statement and a black-and-white image of the singer were also posted on Wednesday morning by Gal Costa’s official Instagram account.
“We are deeply saddened and heartbroken to announce the passing of singer Gal Costa on Wednesday, November 9, in So Paulo. We’ll release more information later on her wake and funeral. We appreciate everyone’s kind words and support at this extremely trying time.
CNN Brasil reports that her press team did not confirm the cause of death. According to a press release, the singer had spent the previous three weeks healing following nose surgery, CNN Brasil said.
According to CNN Brasil, Costa was supposed to perform at the Primavera Sound festival in Sao Paulo last weekend but had to postpone.
An online outpouring of sympathy followed the news of her death. Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva remarked on Twitter that Gal Costa was “one of the world’s best singers and one of our primary musicians who conveyed the name and melodies of Brazil to the entire earth.”
She changed the lives of millions of Brazilians with her ability, skill, and audacity, enriching and renovating our culture.
Lula also published a picture of him grinning and hugging Costa.
Costa, along with vocalists Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, is regarded as having one of the most recognizable voices in Brazil’s Tropicalia movement. He was born on September 26, 1945, in the city of Salvador, in the state of Bahia. The soprano received a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011 and has had a significant impact on upcoming singers.
A large number of musicians have expressed their sorrow and condolences to the family in the wake of Costa’s passing. One such musician is a longtime collaborator and friend Gil, who posted on his official Twitter account that he was “extremely sorry and touched” by Costa’s passing. She was also referred to as his “sister” by him.
