RITA LEE, 1947-2023

Rita Lee, Brazil’s “Queen of Rock”—who co-founded the influential band Os Mutantes and recorded more than 40 albums over six decades—died 5/5 at the age of 75. She'd been diagnosed with lung cancer in 2021.

A feminist icon who was part of the groundbreaking Tropicalia movement of the early 1970s, Lee died at her home in São Paulo. Kurt Cobain, Beck, David Byrne and Tortoise were among her avid fans.

In 1966, the classically trained pianist joined forces with two brothers, Arnaldo Batista and Sérgio Dias, to form Os Mutantes. They blended psychedelic pop-rock with Brazilian musical forms and touches of the avant garde. They befriended Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso and became part of the Tropicalia movement, which the military government opposed (Gil and Veloso were eventually exiled for their music).

Os Mutantes’ self-titled debut, released in 1968 by Polydor, has long been considered one of the greatest Brazilian albums and Latin rock albums of all time, thanks in part to the band's interpretations of Veloso’s “Baby,” the Veloso/Gil composition “Bat Macumba” and Jorge Ben’s “A Minha Menina.”

Following in 1969, the more-polished Mutantes included more original songs, including one titled “Ritta Lee.” The group broke away from Tropicalia with the artier A Divina Comédia ou Ando Meio Desligado in 1970, which found Lee and Baptista, who were married at the time, taking over songwriting duties. This arrangement continued until Lee left Os Mutantes in 1972.

Her solo breakthrough came in 1975 with her fourth album, Fruto Proibido, which sold record numbers for a female rock artist, earning Lee the title Queen of Rock. Among her best-known songs are “Ovelha Negra,” “Mania de Você” and “Now Only Missing You.”

By the end of the 1970s, she was working with her husband, Roberto de Carvalho, releasing eight albums between 1981 and 1990. She put out only one studio album in the '90s. Her last was 2012’s Reza.

Thousands of fans lined up in the rain early Wednesday to join Lee’s relatives at a wake for the singer-songwriter at a planetarium in São Paulo. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who called Lee “an artist ahead of her time,” declared three days of national mourning.

RIP Rita Lee of the legendary Brazilian band Os Mutantes. As one of her bandmates vividly remembers: “Rita Lee brought a circus side to Os Mutantes, which involved humor, clothes and instruments she played, like the Theremin.” https://t.co/kMULL18txl

— Geeta Dayal (@geetadayal) May 9, 2023

My heart goes out to Brazil and the family & fans of the incredible icon, #RitaLee 💔Her legacy & music will live on in our hearts forever! ✌️🌻❤️ https://t.co/x1NpMX5k9v

— Gloria Estefan (@GloriaEstefan) May 10, 2023