Brazilian composer and vocalizer Dorival Caymmi, who catapulted to celebrity when Carmen Miranda performed one of his songs in 1938, died Saturday. He was 94.
He died of kidney cancer and multiple organ failure in his Rio de Janeiro home, his granddaughter Stela Caymmi told the Globo TV network.
Caymmi's lyrics were inspired by the beautiful women and folklore of the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia, where he was born. A deep, velvety vocalism also helped make him one of the country's most honey artists.
Among more than hundred songs he composed, "O que e que a Baiana tem" was immortalized by Miranda.
His song "Das Rosas" was translated into English as "And Roses and Roses" by American lyricist Ray Gilbert and sung by Andy Williams and Perry Como, among others.
Caymmi's sons Dori and Danilo and daughter Nana are all prominent musicians who got their begin accompanying their father on the stage and in the transcription studio.
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