The singer and composer died at the age of 73 Lo Borges, last Sunday night (2/11). One of the founders of Clube da Esquina – an avant-garde musical movement that emerged in Belo Horizonte in the late 1960s and early 1970s and which includes names such as Milton Nascimento, Fernando Brant (1946-2015), Beto Guedes, Toninho Horta and Wagner Tiso. According to a bulletin released by Unimed’s press office, Lô passed away at 8:50 pm as a result of multiple organ failure.
Lô had been admitted to a Unimed hospital in Belo Horizonte since October 17th with a case of drug poisoning. Drug poisoning occurs when excessive doses of a medicine are used, either intentionally or accidentally. The information was confirmed by the report of THE WEATHER with the singer’s family.
The artist from Minas Gerais was intubated and subsequently underwent a tracheostomy (a surgical procedure that creates an opening in the trachea to allow air to pass into the lungs, usually with the insertion of a cannula). The situation worsened and Lô Borges ended up not resisting. Lô leaves behind his son Luca Arroyo Borges, aged 27.
Who was Lô Borges, artist from Minas Gerais, founder of Clube da Esquina
Born on January 10, 1952, Salomão Borges Filho was from an extremely musical family and the sixth of 11 children of the couple Maricota and Salomão. Brother of fellow musicians Márcio Borges – another founder of Clube da Esquina – Marilton Borges and Telo Borges, Lô was one of the central figures in the construction of Minas Gerais sound, being the composer of classics such as “Um Girassol da Cor do Seu Cabelo”, “Tudo Que Você Podia Ser”, “O Trem Azul”, “Clube da Esquina nº 2”, “Para Lennon e McCartney”, “Feira Moderna”, “Vento de Maio”, “A Via Láctea”, “Paisagem da Janela”, “Equatorial”, “Sonho Real”, among others. Lô is the second member of the “Clube” to pass away. The first was Fernando Brant who died at the age of 68 in June 2015 following complications from a liver transplant.
In 1972, at just 20 years old, Lô Borges released two fundamental albums of Brazilian music, one of them being “Clube da Esquina”, in partnership with Milton Nascimento, considered one of the best albums of all time by both national and international critics. The first solo work became known as the “tennis album”, due to its cover that featured a pair of sneakers registered by Cafi, also photographer of the iconic cover of the double album “Clube da Esquina”, which features two boys from Nova Friburgo (RJ), Cacau and Tonho, representing Lô and Bituca.
Lô Borges’ career was marked by big names in MPB
Throughout his career, Lô Borges was recorded by big names in MPB such as Milton himself (great friend and partner), Elis Regina, Tom Jobim (who made an English version of “O Trem Azul”, Lô’s partnership with Ronaldo Bastos), Samuel Rosa, Beto Guedes, Lobão, Nando Reis and Caetano Veloso (with whom he composed the song “Sem Não”).
In the biggest event this year, to the delight of his fans, Lô gave a surprise and free performance on the famous corner where “Clube da Esquina” was born, at the junction of Paraisópolis and Divinópolis streets, in the Santa Tereza neighborhood, where the Borges family house is located.
The musician from Minas Gerais had a very active schedule with shows and album releases. Since 2019, the singer-songwriter has released one original album per year. The last one, ‘Céu de giz’, with his melodies and lyrics by Zeca Baleiro, was released in August this year.
In December 2022, when he completed 50 years of career, Lô Borges experienced one of the most special moments of his artistic career. He took the stage at Sala Minas Gerais, in BH, alongside the Philharmonic Orchestra and the quintet of acoustic double bassists from DoContra who performed part of Lô’s repertoire with arrangements created by musician Neto Bellotto, from DoContra, under the supervision of the honoree himself and maestro Fabio Mechetti, artistic director and chief conductor of the Philharmonic.
In fact, it was the first time that the Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra performed a program focused entirely on the repertoire of a “popular” artist. The “50 Years of Music” project turned into an album that is available in audio and video on digital platforms and was released by the record label Deck.
