Who Was Rita Lee? Brazilian Singer Passes Away At 75

Brazilian singer Rita Lee, known as the Queen of Rock, died at the age of 75 on May 8. The singer was suffering from lung cancer which was diagnosed in 2021 and last year went into remission. She died in her home in Sao Paulo on Monday, according to Guardian.

Leaving behind a musical legacy of six decades of successful music-making and winning the hearts of people around the world, Rita Lee bid farewell to the world on Monday night. Many renowned people including the culture minister of Brazil paid their tribute to the singer and extended condolences to her family.

Rita Lee had a major fan following internationally which reportedly includes King Charles and Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain. It is even said that one time back in 1988, King Charles, the then Prince of Wales, had asked to play her record at an embassy banquet in Paris and knew all the lyrics by heart. Here's all about her life and how she got into music.

Rita Lee Passes Away

Born on December 31, 1947, to an American father and a Brazilian mother in Sao Paulo, Lee was fluent in Spanish, Italian and French since childhood and took classical piano lessons as a kid from Magdalena Tagliaferro, the renowned pianist. As a child, she used to have stage fright but instead of succumbing to it, she faced it head-on by engaging herself more in such activities.

In 1966, she, along with Sergio Dias and Arnaldo Baptista, formed Os Mutantes, the popular Brazilian pop band that played an important part in the Tropicalia movement. Lee stayed with the group till 1972 when she released her solo works as well. She left the group to pursue her solo career. Back in 2006, when the group reunited, she was invited to join them but she refused.

Post her exit from Os Mutantes, she became a part of Tutti Frutti with Lucia Turnbull which went on to become one of Brazil's top bands during the 70s and 80s. Lee's album titled Fruto Proibido was released in 1975 with the band selling a record 200,000 copies taking the band to new heights and giving Lee the name of 'Queen of Rock'.

Lee sold about 55 million records worldwide and was also known for her writing books and talk shows. Her autobiography titled Rita Lee: Uma Autobiografia won the award for the best-selling non-fiction book in Brazil in 2017. She left behind a successful musical career, some really great songs and a void that another artist cannot fill.

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