Brazilian singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Arlindo Cruz died in Rio de Janeiro on 8 August at the age of 66. A family statement said the death resulted from complications of the hemorrhagic stroke he suffered in March 2017, which left him with severe sequelae and kept him away from the stage for the past eight years. Raised in Madureira and a life-long devotee of the Império Serrano samba school, Cruz built a five-decade career that yielded almost 800 works and more than 1,700 recordings registered with Brazil’s performing-rights agency Ecad. He rose to national prominence with the seminal ensemble Fundo de Quintal in the 1980s before launching a prolific solo career marked by hits such as “Meu Lugar,” “O Bem” and “Ainda é Tempo pra Ser Feliz.” Fellow sambistas Martinho da Vila and Dudu Nobre hailed Cruz as a “mestre” and “gênio” whose sophisticated melodies and lyrical richness set a benchmark for future composers. Details of funeral arrangements had not been released by late Friday.