Elza Soares

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Elza Soares
Soares in 1971
Background information
Birth name	Elza Gomes da Conceição
Born	(1930-06-23)23 June 1930 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Died	20 January 2022(2022-01-20) (aged 91) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Genres	Samba bossa nova MPB
Occupation	Singer
Years active	1950–2022
Labels	Odeon

Elza da Conceição Soares (née Gomes; 23 June 1930 – 20 January 2022), known professionally as Elza Soares (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈɛwzɐ ˈswaɾis]), was a Brazilian samba singer. In 1999, she was named Singer of the Millennium along with Tina Turner by BBC Radio.^[1]

Elza was deemed dangerous by the Military dictatorship in Brazil (1964–1985), and in 1970 her house in the Jardim Botânico neighborhood, in Rio de Janeiro, was machine-gunned by regime agents. Inside were her partner Garrincha and their children. The living room, where the young children were, was destroyed by the blasts. She and Garrincha had to flee to Italy, where they were received by Chico Buarque de Hollanda also in exile.^[2][3]