Sergio Mendes

One of Brazil’s most celebrated musical exports, Sergio Mendes spent more than 50 years fusing bossa nova with an array of jazz, funk, and pop sounds. He passed away in September 2024, age 83. ∙ Mendes first made his mark in the US in 1962, performing at New York City’s Carnegie Hall and playing with Cannonball Adderley at the famed jazz club Birdland. ∙ Finding success with the band Brasil ’66 on such songs as “Mas Que Nada,” he catapulted into the US mainstream when he performed “The Look of Love” at the 1968 Academy Awards ceremony. ∙ His 1968 cover of The Beatles’ “Fool On the Hill” was a No. 6 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and was quickly followed by his take on the classic “Scarborough Fair,” which peaked at No. 16. ∙ Nominated for six Grammy Awards, he won once—when 1992’s Brasileiro was named Best World Music Album—and he received a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. ∙ After Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am showed up at his house unannounced, the two collaborated on Mendes’ star-studded albums Timeless (2006) and Encanto (2008). ∙ He coproduced and contributed several tracks to the soundtrack for the 2011 animated film Rio, one of which, “Real in Rio,” earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.