Portuguese fado singer Sónia Santos has died at the age of 46 following a prolonged illness, Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manhã has reported.
In a statement of condolence, the Fado Museum in Lisbon paid tribute to the artist, recalling that she was born in Elvas and discovered her passion for music in childhood, beginning to sing when she was seven years old.
The museum added that her love for fado brought her to Lisbon in 2006, where she went on to perform in the city's most prestigious fado houses.
Career highlights and competition success
Throughout her career, Santos achieved notable success in traditional music competitions, winning the Quinta Grande Noite de Fado in 2019.
She also reached the final of the Há Fado na Mouraria competition and participated in the television show Há Fado na Praça, broadcast by Portuguese public channel RTP.
Preserving traditional Portuguese fado
Fado is a Portuguese musical genre characterized by melancholic tunes and expressive lyrics that frequently focus on themes of longing, fate and sadness.
Santos originally came from Elvas, a municipality in eastern Portugal near the border with Spain, before moving to Lisbon to dedicate herself to traditional music performance.
Her work in Mouraria, a historic neighborhood in Lisbon famous as a traditional home of fado, connected her to the roots of the musical genre.
The Fado Museum, an institution dedicated to preserving and celebrating the history of fado, praised her artistic journey as tributes were paid following her death.
