https://rollingstone.com.br/musica/morre-lo-borges-genio-mineiro-da-mpb-aos-73-anos/

The composer and singer from Minas Gerais Lô Borges passed away, aged 73, after more than fifteen days of hospitalization in Belo Horizonte. The news was confirmed by the artist’s family this Monday, November 3rd.

He had been hospitalized since October 17th, in serious condition and with need for mechanical ventilation and tracheostomyafter suffering drug poisoning at home. The condition progressed to respiratory failure and required surgical intervention.

Despite medical efforts, the singer did not resist and died, leaving a profound mark on Brazilian music, recognized as one of the most important composers of MPB and the Minas Gerais movement.

Life and career of Lô Borges

Solomon Borges Filhobetter known as Lô Borgeswas born on January 10, 1952, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. At a young age, he became close to other musicians who would later join the collective. Corner Club, as Milton Nascimento and Toninho Hortaa group that would become central to Brazilian popular music. At the beginning of the 1970s, this movement brought a new sound to the country, mixing MPB, jazz, rock and music from Minas Gerais.

In 1972, Lô Borges co-signed the album Clube da Esquina (1972). In the same year, he released his first solo album, simply titled Lô Borges (1972), whose cover featuring a pair of sneakers earned the LP the nickname “Tennis Record”.

In the following years, Lo experimented with different musical languages. In 1979, he launched The Milky Way (1979), third studio album, expanding his influences. In 1982, came Gypsy Cloud (1982), which revisits the title track already present in the universe Clube da Esquina and reinforces his ability to reinvent his own work. Over the decades, he released countless albums, exploring styles ranging from MPB to rock, from jazz to roots songs, always with the mark of his guitar, his voice and his Minas Gerais identity.

Legacy, influence and presence to this day

Lô Borges He is widely recognized as one of the most influential composers of contemporary Brazilian music. His songs have spanned generations: tracks like “A Sunflower the Color of Your Hair”, “The Blue Train” and “Window Landscape” they continue to be re-recorded and referenced by new artists. His work helped define the dreamy sound of “Mineiridade” in the 70s — a mix of MPB, rock and jazz.

His influence was not restricted to Brazil: songs and arrangements of Lo were cited by international groups, and “Disco do Tênis” became a cult hit among listeners who discovered the album decades later. He maintained a constant presence in shows, collaborations and albums, proving that, even after the great classics of past decades, he still had artistic relevance and active creativity.

Even after more than five decades of career, Lô Borges maintained an impressive regularity of releases. As of 2019, he has released albums such as Moon River (2019), Dynamo (2020), Far Beyond the End (2021), Living Flame (2022) and Don’t Wait for Me at the Station (2023). In 2025, his album Céu de Giz, Lô Borges invites Zeca Baleiro (2025) also appeared as a novelty. Even though his schedule was interrupted for health reasons, he continued to perform — as in Brazil Style Festivalwith the “Esquinas & Canções” tour. This final phase of his career attested not only to his longevity, but also to his adaptation to different times, platforms and audiences.

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