Elis Regina (March 17, 1945 – January 19, 1982) was a singer of Brazilian popular music who achieved great success and recognition during her lifetime. She remains one of the most popular and beloved stars in Brazil.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Elis Regina helped to popularize the work of the tropicalismo (Tropicália) movement, recording songs by musicians such as Gilberto Gil.
Her 1974 collaboration with Antonio Carlos Jobim, Elis & Tom, is often cited as one of the greatest bossa nova albums of all time, which also includes what many consider the all-time best Brazilian song, "Águas de Março".
She possessed an exciting voice and superb pronunciation and intonation, and excelled at up-tempo numbers and ballads under the banner of Brazilian Popular Music Música Popular Brasileira. Her nicknames were "furacão" ("hurricane") and "pimentinha" ("little pepper").
When Elis Regina died at the age of 36 in 1982, on the verge of a new marriage, new house, new recording contract, and new music group, reportedly of an accidental mixture of alcohol (from the previous night) and cocaine (the following morning), she had recorded dozens of top-selling records in her career.
Her death swept the country in mourning and 100,000 mourners and music stars attended her memorial that had to be held in a soccer stadium.
Elis Regina has sold over 80 million albums, most of which are still available. Her death is still being mourned in Brazil and around the world.
