Young Guard Keyboardist Dies

Lafayette Coelho, keyboardist who played on albums by Roberto Carlos, Erasmo Carlos and other important names in Brazilian music, died today at the age of 79. The news was confirmed by the musician’s widow, Esmeraldina, on Facebook.

Esmeraldina did not mention the cause of death in the post, but Lafayette was hospitalized the day before his death from pneumonia.

Erasmo’s childhood friend, Lafayette became the young keyboardist of Jovem Guarda, playing on more than 50 albums of the period.

Sergio Reis and Golden Boys also used the services of the musician, who also accompanied international artists such as Neil Sedaka and Jimmy Cliff when they passed through Brazil for concerts.

In 2004, he launched with Gabriel Thomaz, from Autoramas, the Lafayette and Tremendões project, initially in live presentations. The release of the album “As 15 Super Quentes”, in 2009, revived its popularity in the music scene.