Iconic Brazilian singer Gal Costa dies at 77

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FILE - Brazilian singer Gal Costa poses after a press conference at the "Festival di Sanremo" Italian song contest, in San Remo, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008. Costa, an icon in the Tropicalia and Brazilian popular music movements who enjoyed a nearly six-decade career, died on Nov. 9, 2022. She was 77. (AP Photo/Alberto Pellaschiar, File)

RIO DE JANEIRO ā€“ Singer Gal Costa, an icon in the Tropicalia and Brazilian popular music movements who enjoyed a nearly six-decade career, died on Wednesday. She was 77.

Her death was confirmed by a press representative, who provided no further information.

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The soprano with wild curls of dark hair was best known for lending her unique voice to compositions such as Ary Barrosoā€™s ā€œAquarela do Brasilā€ (Watercolor of Brazil), Tom Jobimā€™s ā€œDindi,ā€ Jorge Ben Jorā€™s ā€œQue Penaā€ (What a Shame) and Caetano Velosoā€™s ā€œBaby.ā€

ā€œGal Costa was among the worldā€™s best singers, among our principal artists to carry the name and sounds of Brazil to the whole planet,ā€ President-elect Luiz InĆ”cio da Silva wrote on Twitter alongside a photo of him hugging her. ā€œHer talent, technique and courage enriched and renewed our culture, cradled and marked the lives of millions of Brazilians.ā€

Costa was born Maria da GraƧa Penna Burgos in the northeastern state of Bahia and came onto the scene alongside future legends Veloso, Gilberto Gil, and Maria BethĆ¢nia.

All were already successful solo artists when they formed the band Doces BĆ”rbaros. Their joint side project became an important counterculture reference during Brazilā€™s two-decade military dictatorship, inspiring a record, tour and documentary.

In 2011, Costa was awarded a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

She remained an active performer until nearly the end, having recently suspended shows to undergo a surgery on one of her nostrils. Her next concert had been scheduled for Dec. 17, in Sao Paulo.


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