What happened to Gal Costa? Tributes pour in as Brazilian icon dies aged 77

Well-known Brazilian singer Gal Costa recently passed away on November 9 at the age of 77. She released her last album back in 2021 and appeared on the popular compilation, Tropicália ou Panis et Circencis.

Singer-songwriter and former culture minister Gilberto Gil paid tribute to her and wrote on Twitter:

President-elect of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also paid tribute to her on Instagram by sharing her picture and writing that she was one of the best singers in the world and one of the artists who brought the name and sound of Brazil to the entire planet.

Gal Costa’s cause of death and career in brief

Gal Costa’s cause of death has not yet been revealed. But what we do know is that she recently canceled her performance at the Primavera Sound festival in Sao Paulo after being advised by her doctor.

She had to undergo an operation in September this year to remove a nodule from her right nasal cavity. Gosta was expected to return on stage in Sao Paulo in December.

For now, it remains unknown if she was suffering from any complications following the surgery and there is no information available on whether she was suffering from any other health issues that may have played a role in her death.

A brief about her career

Born on September 26, 1945, Gal Costa made her debut at a concert Nos, por exemplo, in August 1964. She then performed at Nova Bossa Velha, Velha Bossa Nova, and moved to Rio de Janeiro to reside with her cousin Nivea.

She did her first professional recording on Bethania’s first album, which was released in 1965. Costa then released songs like Eu vim da Bahia, Sim, foi voce, and more.

She released her debut album, Domingo, in 1967. One of the songs from the album, Coracao Vagabundo, received a positive response.

Gal then participated in the tropicalia movement in 1968 and recorded four songs on a collaboration album, Tropicalia: ou Panis et Circenses. She also took part in the 3rd International Music Festival and the 4th Music Festival. Costa released her solo debut album in 1969, followed by another album, Gal.

Costa released another album, Legal, in 1970 followed by a live album the following year. Her songs were composed by the most popular songwriters from Brazil. Her single, Festa Do Interior, was considered one of the biggest hits of her entire career.

She portrayed the role of singer Carmen Miranda in the 1995 film, The Mandarin, and recorded songs in Portuguese, Spanish, and English.

Netizens pay her tribute on Twitter

Gal Costa became a popular name in the music industry for her hit albums and singles in recent years. Her fans expressed their grief on Twitter when they heard about her death:

About the author

Anupal is a pop culture writer at Sportskeeda with a degree in Political Science. He developed a keen interest in the lives of celebrities, films, TV shows, and box office collections since an early age. After accumulating significant experience as a content writer across varied fields at companies such as The Indian Wire, DigiStatement, and QuirkyByte Media, he eventually settled on writing about his favorite genre - pop culture.

Anupal believes in conducting in-depth research while writing about any topic and relies on varied sources to ensure he produces holistic articles. He also often glances through content that was published in the 80s and 90s to gain a better understanding of the subject he is covering.

Anupal admires Robert Downey Jr., who played one of his favorite Marvel superheroes, Iron Man. He is inspired by the actor's resilience and the determination in overcoming past struggles to building a successful Hollywood career and admires the way he articulates his thoughts while speaking in interviews.

If Anupal could travel back in time, he would love to experience James Cameron's 2009 film 'Avatar' in a theatre full of fans. When he's not busy working, he binges on the latest OTT titles across languages.

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