Nana Caymmi, the veteran Brazilian singer and Grammy winner, has died.
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The singer passed away from multiple organ failure after an extended hospitalization on Thursday, May 1, per CNN. She was 84.
Nana Caymmi, born on April 29, 1941, is the daughter of famous composer Dorival Caymmi and singer Stella Maris. Dorival is known for Brazilian classics like “O que é que a Baiana Tem,” “Maracangalha,” and “Saudade de Itapoã,” which have made a lasting impact on Brazilian music.
She began her career by performing a duet with her father on his track “Acalanto,” a song Dorival lovingly composed as a lullaby for her.
Nana Caymmi’s First Album Dropped in 1965
The singer debuted her first album, titled “Nana,” in 1965. According to CNN, she has since released an impressive 31 studio albums and three DVD projects.
In 1966, she won the national phase of the inaugural International Song Festival in Rio de Janeiro with a stunning performance of “Saveiros,” a song composed by her brother, Dori Caymmi, and Nelson Motta. She later toured alongside Dori.
Nana Caymmi’s remarkable voice earned widespread acclaim in 1976 when she was honored with the prestigious Villa-Lobos Trophy for Best Singer of the Year, awarded by the Brazilian Association of Record Producers.
Caymmi’s career highlights also include four Latin Grammy nominations. Her first nomination, in 2004, earned her a win in the Best Samba/Pagoda Album category for the acclaimed album Para Caymmi, by Nana, Dori, and Danilo.
Controversy Followed in the Wake of Nana Caymmi’s Death
Meanwhile, after her passing, some reports claimed the singer had died from an overdose. However, musician Danilo Caymmi, brother of Nana Caymmi, refuted these claims and clarified that her death was not caused by an opioid overdose.
“How could a person who has been in an ICU for nine months, I emphasize U-T-I, not room or semi-ICU, have an overdose of opioids? I’m very upset with this speculation,” Danilo Caymmi told CNN.
Nana’s brother revealed that the artist “comes from a very complicated situation.” He explained that the most recent focus was treating a sacral sore—a wound at the base of the spine—that had progressed into osteomyelitis, a serious bone infection.
She lingered in the hospital following the procedure after a series of setbacks, never fully recovering, according to her brother.
“It was months interspersing high expectations and new situations. First heart, kidney and then liver, and this unhealed osteomyelitis. A lot of suffering… but to suppose that someone who is in the ICU, doing hemodialysis, with tracheostomized periods, may have had an overdose of opioids is cruel and biased,” he added.