Brazilian singing diva Elza Soares died Thursday at the age of 91 from ” natural causes in his residence in Rio de Janeiro, announced his press service.
” It is with great sadness and sorrow that we inform you of the death of singer and songwriter Elza Soares, at the age of 91. (…) in his home in Rio de Janeiro, from natural causes “, indicates a press release broadcast on the artist’s Instagram account.
Elza Soares, one of the greatest Brazilian singers of all times, passed away today, of natural causes. The country, the arts, the whole country mourns this loss. Elza will always represent the fight for women and black people rights. She is strength, power. Elza is eternal. pic.twitter.com/shKGiKwe1X
— Media NINJA (@MediaNINJA) January 20, 2022
With more than thirty records to her credit over more than 60 years of career, the black diva with her characteristic hoarse timbre was considered one of the greatest voices in Brazilian song.
” Icon of Brazilian music, considered one of the greatest artists in the world, the sacred singer “Millennium Voice”, had an extraordinary, intense life, which moved the world with his voice, his strength and his determination “, adds the press release. In 1999, the BBC crowned her “Brazilian singer of the millennium”.
Born in a Rio favela
Marked by many personal dramas, Elza Gomes da Conceição Soares had become a symbol of resistance and courage at the end of her life. Daughter of a worker and a laundress, she was born on June 23, 1930 in a favela in Rio de Janeiro. Her father had forced her to marry at 12, she became a mother the following year. She had seven children by her first husband, two of whom died prematurely. Widowed at 21, she confessed to stealing food to feed her children. She then lived for seventeen years with the Brazilian footballer Mané Garrincha, with whom she had a son who died prematurely at the age of nine.
“ Beloved and eternal Elza has gone to rest, but she will forever remain in music history and in our hearts and in those of millions of fans around the world. As Elza Soares wished, she sang until the end “, concludes the press release.
(With AFP)