Sergio Mendes died at the age of 83 in Los Angeles, United States, where he had lived since the 1960s. The death was confirmed by the pianist’s family and, according to an Instagram post by former label boss and friend Herb Alpert, Sergio was battling complications from a long COVID infection.
Born in Niterói (RJ) on September 11, 1941, he moved to the United States in 1964. No other Brazilian artist has had as much success on the American charts as he has. In total, the pianist had 14 songs in the American top 100, four of 
them in the 80s and ten in the 60s.
He collaborated with great jazz icons (Herb Alpert, Cannonball Adderley), with American pop artists (Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake, Black Eyed Peas, John Legend) and MPB (João Donato, Hermeto Pascoal).
In 1966, he released his best-known recording: “Mas que nada”, by Jorge Benjor, in a bossa nova summer. In 2006, the song was remixed by the Black Eyed Peas with the participation of Sergio himself.
In a 60-year career with 35 albums released, Mendes won a Grammy and was nominated for an Oscar in 2012 for the song “Real in Rio”, the soundtrack for the animation “Rio”, made in partnership with Carlinhos Brown.
His latest album was “In the Key of Joy”, released in 2020, created from collaborations with other artists such as João Donato, Hermeto Pascoal and Guinga. In the same year, he was also the subject of a documentary: “Sérgio Mendes: In the Key of Joy”.
Mendes’ final performances took place in November 2023, during a series of shows in Paris, London and Barcelona.
He is survived by his wife, Gracinha Leporace, his two sons, Tiago and Gustavo; three children from his first marriage, Bernardo, Rodrigo and Isabella; and seven grandchildren.
Source: Billboard and G1