Rita Lee, a founding vocalist of Brazilian psych-rock legends Os Mutantes, has died. Lee – who earned the title of Brazil’s “Queen of Rock” for her work both in Os Mutantes and as a solo artist – was 75 years old.
Lee’s death was confirmed in a statement shared on her Instagram page, which said she died at her home in São Paulo surrounded by family. Her cause of death was not publicly disclosed in the statement, but she had been in treatment for lung cancer for more than a year before she died.
Born in São Paulo in late 1947, Lee co-founded Os Mutantes in 1966 alongside Arnaldo Baptista and Sérgio Dias Baptista. They released their self-titled debut album two years later. During their initial run, between 1966 and 1978, the band released six albums: Lee appears on five (she departed the band in 1972.)
Throughout their time, Os Mutantes combined traditional Brazilian music styles with psychedelic rock elements, and were heavily linked to the Tropicália artistic movement, spearheaded by collaborators Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil.
Fans of the band have included Kurt Cobain – who sent a letter to the band attempting to prompt a reunion tour from them in 1993 – Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ Flea, Of Montreal‘s Kevin Barnes and Talking Heads frontman David Byrne. The band eventually did reunite, in 2006, but Lee did not participate.
Outside of Os Mutantes, Lee was also a solo musician, who released her debut album Build Up in 1970. A highly prolific artist, she released many more solo albums throughout her career, the most recent being 2012’s Reza. She also collaborated heavily with the blues rock band Tutti Frutti, and released many records with her husband, Roberto de Carvalho. In addition to singing, Lee was also a multi-instrumentalist who played guitar, piano, drums and more.
