Fado singer Carlos do Carmo died of an aneurysm on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2021, at Santa Maria Hospital, in Lisbon. He was 81 years old.
The Portuguese government declared Monday, January 4th, as a national mourning day for Carlos do Carmo’s death.
Funeral services for Carlos do Carmo were held at the Estrela Basilica, a minor basilica and ancient Carmelite convent in Lisbon, Portugal.
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Born in Lisbon on December 21, 1939, Carlos do Carmo was the son of a famed fado singer Lucília do Carmo, and bookseller Alfredo Almeida.
His parents owned and operated O Faia, an iconic fado house and restaurant located in Lisbon’s Bairro Alto district.
Carlos do Carmo started singing fado at O Faia until he began his artistic career in 1964.
Throughout his life, he received many awards. In 2014 he was the Winner of the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
His career of over 50 years took him through many of the most prestigious world stages. From the Olympia, in Paris, to the Opera of Frankfurt, in Germany, from the ‘Canecão’, in Rio de Janeiro, to the Royal Albert Hall, in London, to the New York Town Hall in the United States.
In addition to being a world-renowned fado singer, Carlos do Carmo was also one of the cornerstones of fado’s candidacy for World Heritage status by UNESCO and was also instrumental in the worldwide renewal of fado.
The singer’s last concert took place on November 9, 2019, at Coliseu dos Recreios, in Lisbon.
The publication of Carlo do Carmo’s latest album, “E Ainda?”, is scheduled to be released later this year, announced Universal Music.
Even though Carlos do Carmo is gone, his music will live on not only in Portugal but throughout the world.
