Cazuza

Brazilian composer and singer, born in Rio de Janeiro (4 April 1958 – 7 July 1990).

Son of the phonographic producer João Araújo and amateur singer Maria Lúcia Araújo, he began to write lyrics and poems around 1965. In 1978 he dropped out of university to work with his father at Som Livre. He then moved to San Francisco, only returning to Rio de Janeiro in 1980, where he worked with the theatrical group Asdrúbal Trouxe o Trombone ("Asdrúbal Brought the Trombone"). Noticed by Leo Jayme, he joined Barão Vermelho who were in need of a vocalist.

In July 1985 Cazuza left Barão Vermelho to focus on his solo career. Around the same time the first symptoms of AIDS developed, publicly admitting to having AIDS in 1989. Cazuza was openly bisexual but was not active in the gay movement. However his openness about being a person with AIDS helped to change public perceptions and attitudes about HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.

Cazuza died in Rio de Janeiro on July 7, 1990 at the age of 32 from an AIDS related illness. He was buried at the Cemitério São João Batista Botafogo, in Rio de Janeiro. Cazuza's mother set up the Viva Cazuza Society (Sociedade Viva Cazuza), a charity which sponsors AIDS prevention and provides a home for HIV-positive children.