Mourning at the Rio Carnival: Quinho do Salgueiro, one of Rio’s great voices, has died

Brazilian samba player Melquisedeque Marins Marques, better known as Quinho do Salgueiroone of the great voices of the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, has died at the age of 66 in Rio de Janeiro, the samba school reported Academics of Salgueiro.

The singer suffered from prostate cancer, was admitted to a hospital in Rio de Janeiro and, according to local media, died due to “respiratory failure”.

The samba school in a note states that it felt a “deep emotion” and “a lump in the throat” at the farewell of the historic performer, who according to it “went beyond the limits of music and Carnival”.

“Quinho was not just a talented artist; he was the voice that resonated in every conquest, in every save, and was intimately intertwined with the soul of Salgueiro,” read the statement on his official Instagram profile.

A 40-year career

Coming from a family linked to the world of samba, Quinho do Salgueiro began his musical career in the 80s and He attended many of Rio’s most famous schoolssuch as São Clemente and Império da Tijuca, as well as some from São Paulo and Porto Alegre.

But He was always linked to the Acadêmicos do Salgueirowhere he played for about three decades in different periods and achieved his greatest successes with the composition of authentic carnival hymns, such as The heart explodes.

“Quinho not only sang for Salgueiro; he lived and breathed every note, every accelerated beat of the drums. He personified the spirit of Salgueiro, and his absence leaves an indescribable void,” described the escola carioca, one of the most traditional in the capital of Fluminense.

Acadêmicos do Salgueiro expressed its condolences to the family and all those who had “a deep connection with his legacy”.

“May your voice resound eternally in the avenues, in the hearts of samba players and in every corner of Salgueiro. Rest in peace, Quinho, because your music will continue to shake our souls”, he concluded.