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Brazilian samba singer Elza Soares dies at 91

Posted January 20, 2022 6:00 am

The Associated Press

FILE - Brazilian singer Elza Soares performs at the Rock in Rio music festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019. Elza Soares has died on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File) The Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - Brazilian samba singer Elza Soares died in her Rio de Janeiro home on Thursday afternoon, family members said on the artist's official Instagram account. She was 91.

The singer 'œmoved the world with her voice, her strength and her determination,'ť they said, adding she 'œwill forever be in the history of music and in our hearts and the thousands of fans around the world."

The family said Soares died of '~'natural causes'' and did not provide further detail.

Elza Gomes da ConceiÃ§Ã£o was born in June 1930, in a modest Rio de Janeiro household. She became famous singing samba in the early 1960s, before diversifying to other genres, winning her the title of 'œsinger of the millennium'ť in a BBC London competition in 1999.

Last month, she featured in a documentary series paying tribute to Black women singers who paved the way for other artists.

"Just like Elza Soares wanted, she sang until the end,'ť family members said in a statement Thursday.

FILE - Brazilian Samba queen, Elza Soares, performs in a Rome theater, Jan. 26, 1970, during her first European concert, Jan. 28, 1970. Elza Soares has died on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Gianni Foggia, File) The Associated Press

FILE - Brazilian singer Elza Soares from the Mocidade samba school parades during Carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020. Elza Soares has died on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo, File) The Associated Press

FILE - Footballer Garrincha and samba singer Elza Soares are pictured together, date unknown. Elza Soares has died on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. (AP Photo, File) The Associated Press

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