Sergio Mendes dead at 83: Brazilian musician worked with John Legend, helped create a 007 song and was Oscar nominated for Real In Rio

Brazilian musician Sergio Mendes has died at the age of 83.

The iconic Latin artist passed away in Los Angeles, according to a Friday report from TMZ.

Mendes was a world-famous Brazilian musician who collaborated with jazz greats such as Herb Alpert.

Sergio was known for bossa nova, a jazz-inflected derivative of samba, and worked with the famous musician Antônio Carlos Jobim.

Mendes also headed up the iconic musical group Brasil ’66. 

He was Oscar-nominated for his song Real In Rio which he made with John Legend for the 2012 animated movie Rio.

And he won three Grammys over his 70 year career. 

 Mendes performs at the Park West in Chicago, Illinois, March 3, 1979

He worked with many mainstream artists such as The Black Eyed Peas, with whom he re-recorded in 2006 a version of his breakthrough hit Mas que Nada.

He also made music with Stevie Wonder who wrote Mendes’ hit The Real Thing.

And Sergio worked on a 007 song.

He helped singer Lani Hall as a producer of her vocals on the title song for the James Bond film Never Say Never Again in the 1980s.

Mendes was married to Gracinha Leporace, who performed with him since the early 1970s. 

The artist was born in 1941 in Niteroi, RJ, Brazil. He studied classic music at Curso Santa Cecilia and the Conservatory of Music in Niteroi.

His first inspiration was Dave Brubeck which inspired him to start a jazz club with pals. 

The star got his start in the 1950s when he played nightclubs in his native Brazil but  his biggest hits were made in the US. 

The year 1962 was big for him.  

The star got his start in the 1950s when he played nightclubs in his native Brazil but his biggest hits were made in the US. Seen with band mates in 1977

Sergio visited New York to participate in the famous Bossa Nova Festival at Carnegie Hall, joining Joao Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Stan Getz, and Charlie Byrd, among others. 

The New York Times called Sergio’s appearance one of the highlights of the evening. 

During this trip, Sergio visits the famous Birdland, and hears, for the first time in person, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Cannonball Adderley.

 At the time, Cannonball invited Sergio to make a record with him—Cannonball Adderley and The Bossa Rio Sextet. Around this time Sergio meets Nesuhi Ertegun, owner/President of Atlantic Records, who signs Sergio and produces his first American record—The Swinger From Rio. 

He worked with many mainstream artists such as The Black Eyed Peas, with whom he re-recorded in 2006 a version of his breakthrough hit Mas que Nada. Seen in 2023

In 1964, Sergio moved to California, with a group that he names Brasil 64. With this instrumental formation he makes two records—in 64 and 65, and does several personal appearances, in clubs, around the United States.

His first taste of mainstream fame came when he performed the Oscar-nominated The Look of Love during the Academy Awards in 1968. 

His hit songs include The Fool on the Hill, Scarborough Fair and Never Gonna Let You Go. His big hit was the Grammy-winning Elektra album Brasileiro in 1992.

He was one of the most internationally successful Brazilian artists of all time.

Mendes has recorded more than 35 albums, many of which went gold or platinum. He’s a three-time Grammy Award winner, Oscar- nominated songwriter and the subject of a 2020 feature documentary.