Gal Costa, legendary Brazilian singer, has died at age 77. He was a singer, songwriter, producer, and actor in over 200 music albums and films.
He was born in Rio de Janeiro on October 31, 1938. In an interview with the BBC, he said: “I’m a musician. I’m a singer. I’m a songwriter. I’m an actor, a director, an educator. I’m a poet, a writer. I’m a businessman. I’m a husband. I’m a father. I’m an athlete. I’m a philosopher. I’m a man.”
After the death of his father, he took on the role of caregiver for his mother, who was suffering from epilepsy. It was there that he first started to sing.
Costa later went on to release over 200 albums, and his songs have been covered by many other artists including Johnny Cash, The Eagles, Aretha Franklin, and Barbra Streisand. He appeared on the American variety television show The Ed Sullivan Show and in the 1979 Broadway production of A Chorus Line with Barbra Streisand, James Brown and others. He performed on The Midnight Special and The Montel Williams Show, winning a Golden Globe Award.
His song, “Garden of the Lord,” won the 1972 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
A post shared by FELICIANNA (@felicianna_usa) on May 9, 2018 at 4:44pm PDT
He was married to actress and producer Lola Alves from 1972 until 1976. They separated in 1982. On August 11, 2005, the news website TMZ.com reported that Costa and Alves had reconciled, following an incident where Costa got angry with a woman after a performance of the song “Brazilian Nights.”
A post shared by FELICIANNA (@felicianna_usa) on May 9, 2018 at 4:33pm PDT
Costa’s final recording, which will make up the third volume in his Grammy-winning series of CDs, was released