CNN
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Brazilian singer Gal Costa, one of the most influential artists in Brazil’s Tropicalia movement of the 1960s, died on Wednesday. She was 77 years old.
Her death was confirmed by her press team to CNN affiliate CNN Brasil. Gal Costa’s official Instagram account also published a short statement Wednesday morning along with a black and white photo of the singer.
“It is with deep sadness and a broken heart that we inform the death of singer Gal Costa this Wednesday morning, November 9th, in São Paulo. Details on her wake and funeral will be shared at a later date. We appreciate everyone’s caring thoughts during this very difficult time.”
The cause of death was not confirmed by her press team, according to CNN Brasil. The singer had been recovering from a nasal surgical procedure over the last three weeks, according to a press release, CNN Brasil reported.
Costa was scheduled to perform at the Primavera Sound festival in Sao Paulo last weekend but canceled, CNN Brasil reported.
News of her death led to an outpouring of condolences online. “Gal Costa was one of the world’s greatest singers and one of our main artists who brought the name and sounds of Brazil to the entire planet,” Brazil’s President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wrote on Twitter.
“Her talent, technique, and audacity enriched and renovated our culture and had an impact on the lives of millions of Brazilians.”
Lula also shared a photograph of him hugging Costa and smiling.
Costa was born in the city of Salvador, in the state of Bahia, on September 26, 1945, and is considered as one of the most distinctive voices in Brazil’s Tropicalia movement, alongside singers Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil. The soprano has been a major influence among younger singers and in 2011 was awarded a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Costa’s death brought an outpouring of mourning and condolences to the family from the music world, including from long-time collaborator and friend Gil, who said he was “very sad and affected” by Costa’s death on his official Twitter account. He also referred to her as his “sister.”
