The singer died as a result of cardiac complications; The death was confirmed early on Thursday (1st) by his brother, musician and composer Danilo Caymmi
The singer died on Thursday (1st), at the age of 84, due to cardiac complications. She had been hospitalized for nine months at the São José Clinic in Rio de Janeiro. The death was confirmed early in the evening by his brother, musician and composer Danilo Caymmi. In 2024, Nana faced serious heart problems, which led to the implementation of a pacemaker to treat arrhythmia. Years earlier, in 2015, she also fought stomach cancer.
Daughter of the renowned Bahian composer Dorival Caymmi and singer Stella Maris, Nana was born in Rio de Janeiro with the name Dinahir Tostes Caymmi, in honor of a paternal aunt. Encouraged by his parents, he began studying classic piano still in childhood. Her first recording was in 1960, next to her father, with the lullain song “Acalanto”, made especially for her. In the same year, it launched a compact with the songs “Goodbye” and “Our Kisses”. Despite the promising start in music, Nana decided to leave Brazil to marry Venezuelan doctor Gilberto José Point Paoli, with whom she had three children: Stella, Denise and João Gilberto.
Throughout his career, Nana Caymmi has eternalized classics with her unmistakable voice, playing compositions of big names in Brazilian music such as Tom Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes, Milton Nascimento and Roberto Carlos, always printing a unique artistic identity for each song.
His repertoire also brought remarkable rereading of works from his father, Dorival Caymmi, such as “What is Bahia has” and “Saudade da Bahia”. Nana’s presence was also remarkable in the soundtracks of TV Globo soap operas and miniseries, as well as special appearances as an actress.
Last works
Although he announced retirement a few times, the artist returned to the stage to honor his father’s centenary in performances alongside the brothers. Nana Caymmi’s last two albums have been released in the last years of her career: “Nana Caymmi sings Tito Madi” (2019), a tribute to the pre-Basi Nova era composer, and “Nana, Tom, Vinicius” (2020), dedicated to the songs of two of her great friends, Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes. Already away from the stage, his last presentation took place in 2015, in São Paulo.
Nana’s last known public image appears in the documentary “Dorival Caymmi – a man of affection”, directed by Daniela Broitman. In the movie, she gives an exciting testimony about her father and plays, to the chapel, the samba-song “has no solution”, in one of the most striking moments of the work.
*Report produced with the aid of AI
Posted by Carol Santos
