Rita Lee, a pioneering solo artist and one of Latin America’s first female rockers who performed with the iconic group Os Mutantes, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 75, her family announced. Rita Lee was a Brazilian rock and roll star.
The singer-songwriter who won a Latin Grammy passed away at home in Sao Paulo on Monday night “surrounded by the love of her entire family, as she always wanted,” her family said in a statement on Instagram. She was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2021.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva praised Lee as “one of the biggest and most brilliant names in Brazilian music,” praising her “creativity and daring.”
“With her comedy and eloquence, she spared no one. Generations of women in rock and art were inspired by her as she battled machismo in her life and music. We shall always remember her.
Is Rita Lee related to Robert E Lee?
In honor of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, her father, a dentist, added the “Lee” to her name.