Farewell to Hermeto Pascoal, the Wizard of Universal Music
Hermeto Pascoal, the legendary Brazilian multi-instrumentalist, affectionately known as “the wizard of music,” has passed away at the age of 89. His death was confirmed this Saturday evening, September 13, 2025, at a hospital in Rio de Janeiro, where he was being treated. The cause was reported as multiple organ failure. Surrounded by family and close musical companions, his final moments carried the same essence that defined his life: music. While Hermeto was making his transition, his group was on stage performing, exactly the way he would have wanted—transforming grief into sound and joy.
Born in Alagoas, Hermeto was one of those rare artists whose work simply refused to fit into any box. He was a man who could make music out of anything: pots, pans, toys, kettles, even the sounds of animals and water. For him, every noise held rhythm, every silence contained melody. That vision of sound led him to create what he proudly called “música universal”—a music without boundaries, without labels, where Brazilian rhythms like forró and frevo could dance alongside jazz and classical structures.
His genius did not go unnoticed. Miles Davis once declared Hermeto the most impressive musician in the world, and many critics agreed. Over the years, he won three Latin Grammy Awards, and in 2023, the prestigious Juilliard School in New York honored him with a doctorate honoris causa. Universities in Brazil, including in his native Alagoas, also recognized his immense contributions.
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Even in his late eighties, Hermeto never slowed down. Just weeks before his passing, he had toured Europe with nine performances across seven countries. In June, shortly before his 89th birthday, he took the stage at Rio’s Circo Voador, where the concert turned into a giant birthday celebration. “When I go on stage, I don’t have an age. My soul becomes a boy again,” he told O Globo at the time. That boundless energy and youthful spirit became his signature.
Hermeto’s final album, Pra Você, Ilza —a tribute to his late wife Ilza Souza Silva—was hailed as one of the best Brazilian albums of 2024 by critics. He also inspired countless musicians through his compositions, performances, and sheer inventiveness. His group, Nave Mãe, carried forward his vision, and it was during one of their shows in Belo Horizonte, broadcast live to Hermeto’s hospital room, that the world unknowingly shared his final moments.
Beyond the awards, records, and accolades, Hermeto Pascoal leaves behind a philosophy: that music is everywhere, in every sound, in every breath. He often said that age didn’t exist, that only the day-to-day mattered, and that happiness could be passed on like a melody. His legacy is not only in notes and rhythms but in this timeless reminder—that life itself is music, and that music is infinite.
Hermeto is survived by six children, 13 grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren. His sound will continue echoing, not just in concert halls or recordings, but in the simple rhythm of daily life, in the wind, in water, and in silence itself.
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