João Chargas Leite, one of the greatest authorities in national music in Rio Grande do Sul, died on Tuesday (11/11). According to his family and bandmates, the artist was hospitalized for treatment for colorectal cancer at a hospital in Ereshim, within Rio Grande do Sul, when he died.
Known for songs such as Desassossegos, Ave Sonora e Penas, Pampa and Querência, João Chargas took a two-year break from his career due to the consequences of illness. But before his death, the musician gave a series of performances when he announced his return to the stage in May this year after undergoing surgery.
He said at the time: “Going up to the stage, carrying that music that the people who prayed a lot and cheered a lot with me, was waiting for, is an emotional thing.” He even played his first show in Santa Catarina, but again he had to be hospitalized after his health deteriorated.
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“It is with deep regret that we announce the death of João Chagas Lite, which occurred on this date, November 11, 2025. May God grieve for everyone,” the family lamented in a statement published on the musician’s official profile.
Over the course of more than five decades dedicated to music, he has been the composer of more than 300 compositions. João Chargas was considered one of the great symbols of the nationalist movement, which emerged in the 1970s with the aim of valorizing regional music in Rio Grande do Sul.
The musician was also a symbol of overcoming. Despite being born with a physical disability in his left hand, he learned to play the guitar backwards in the early years of his career.
João Carlos Leite’s funeral took place on Tuesday afternoon (11/11) and burial is scheduled for 9am on Wednesday (11/12), at the Pio XII Cemetery, north of Rio Grande do Sul. The municipality of Uruguay, the musician’s birthplace, announced an official three-day mourning period in the municipality due to the singer’s death.
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