Rita Lee, the Brazilian rock star, has died at the age of 75, the family said in a statement. In 2021, the Brazilian singer was diagnosed with lung cancer and was undergoing treatment for the disease.
“We announce the death of Rita Lee at her Sao Paulo home late Monday night, surrounded by all the love of her family, as she always wanted,” the family said in a statement.
The singer’s wake will be open to the public and will be held at the planetarium in Ibirapuera Park in Sao Paulo this Wednesday.
Rita Lee was born in Sao Paulo in 1947 and as a child she began to take her first steps in the world of music. As a child, he took piano lessons from the Brazilian classical pianist Magdalena Tagliaferro.
Prior to starting his solo career, Lee was a member of the rock band Mutants. The group also included Sergio Diaz and Arnaldo Baptista, with whom the singer had a relationship.
This was the end of her marriage to the Brazilian singer in 1972, which resulted in Rita Lee leaving the group.
The first solo album “Build Up”, but still recorded with “Mutantes”, was released in 1970. In 1972, he released “Hoje é o Primeiro Dia do Resto da Sua Vida”.
Before betting on a solo career, Rita Lee was part of the Tutti Frutti group. With the group, also from São Paulo, the singer has released five albums.
Since 1979, the late artist returned to devote herself to a solo career, actively supported by her partner Roberto de Carvalho, whom she eventually married.
The self-titled album “Rita Lee”, released in 1979, became one of the most successful of the singer’s career and includes one of the most popular Brazilian hits – the song “Mania de Você”.
In 1985, the singer took the stage at the first ever Rock in Rio, in Rio de Janeiro, to sing songs from the album “Rita e Roberto” with Roberto de Carvalho.
Rita Lee’s career has gained a lot of popularity, and the singer is considered one of the figures of Brazilian rock. In 2001, it was awarded the Latin Grammy for Best Rock Album in Portuguese.
The singer retired from music in 2012 after 34 solo albums. In the same year, the last album of new songs was released.
The singer admitted in her autobiography that she struggled with alcoholism. In the same biography, Rita Lee admitted to being sexually abused by a man who went to her mother’s house to get a sewing machine when she was six years old.