Fernado Mendes

Fernando Mendes came up in São Paulo during the 1970s, playing in local bands and drawing from rock acts like Elvis Presley and Led Zeppelin. He put out his first album, 'Encontro com o Amor,' in 1984, but it was the follow-up a year later that really connected. The title track from that 1985 album, 'A Beira da Loucura,' became a major hit in Brazil, with its direct lyrics about love and fragility finding a wide audience.

Mendes had an outspoken, rebellious side that sometimes drew criticism, and in the 1990s he dealt with some public legal issues tied to drug use and mental health. He kept writing and performing through those years, and the candidness in his music about personal struggle was part of what held his fans close.