Brazilian samba singer Elza Soares died at the age of 91 in her Rio de Janeiro home on Thursday afternoon.

In a statement on the artist’s official Instagram account, her family members said the singer died of ”natural causes”.

The singer “moved the world with her voice, her strength and her determination,” the family said, adding she “will forever be in the history of music and in our hearts and the thousands of fans around the world.”

Also Read: Bob Saget’s wife Kelly Rizzo recalls final conversation with late husband

Who was Elza Soares?

Elza Gomes da Conceição was born in June 1930, in a modest Rio de Janeiro household to a washerwoman and a factory worker.

She became famous for singing samba in the early 1960s. Her raspy voice immediately struck a chord with audiences. She then diversified to other genres, winning her the title of “singer of the millennium” in a BBC London competition in 1999.

Also Read: ‘Kirataka’ director Pradeep Raj dies of COVID

Gomes became a fierce champion of Black feminism and also a voice against violence against women.

“Racism still continues, but we are going to fight it and we will make progress. Racism is a sickness,” she told Reuters in an interview last year.

Also Read: Sean Rice, figure skater who appeared on Dancing on Ice, dies at 49

Last month, she featured in a documentary series paying tribute to Black women singers who paved the way for other artists.

“Just like Elza Soares wanted, she sang until the end,” family members said in a statement Thursday.

Also Read: Veteran journalist Kamal Khan dies, tributes pour in

Soares married soccer star Mane Garrincha in 1966. She, however, ended their relationship 17 years later when he hit her during an argument. Garrincha died of cirrhosis in 1983. 

With inputs from the Associated Press