Mario Lago, 90; Brazilian Poet, Samba Composer and Actor

Mario Lago, 90, Brazilian samba composer and poet, died Thursday of lung failure at his Copacabana beach home in Rio de Janeiro.

Active until last year, Lago wrote more than 200 songs and appeared in more than 30 television programs and 20 motion pictures. His most famous song, released in 1942, was “Missing Amelia So Much.” Mourners paraphrased the song during a vigil Friday as “Missing you, Mario, so much.”

Some of his work flowed north, with the Andrews Sisters popularizing his song “Aurora” in the 1941 Abbott and Costello film “Hold That Ghost.” Lago also worked with Brazilian dancer, singer and actress Carmen Miranda, who became well known in the U.S.

An ardent Communist, Lago was imprisoned six times during the military regime between 1964 and 1986. Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso saluted Lago in a statement Friday: “As a composer, Mario Lago showed, sensitively and delicately, the soul and joy of the Brazilian people. As a citizen, he fought to build a more just Brazil--more just for all its children.”