Brazilian media mogul Silvio Santos dead at 93
Silvio Santos, who burst onto the Brazilian TV scene in the early 1960s, created one of the biggest media conglomerates in the country, and became one of the most influential and beloved television personalities in Brazil, has died in São Paulo. He was 93.
SBT, his television channel, confirmed the death on social media — but gave no information on the cause of his death. A month ago, he had been admitted to a São Paulo hospital with a case of H1N1. “He lived 93 years to bring joy and love to all Brazilians,” the statement says.
Born Senor Abravanel to Sephardic Jewish immigrants of Greek and Turkish origin, Mr. Santos began his professional life at age 14 as a street vendor. The details about his early life are hazy — in many instances it is unclear what was true and what was part of the mythical origin story Mr. Santos carefully crafted for himself throughout his career.
In the 1940s, Mr. Santos began working small jobs as a radio broadcaster, namely on the ferry between the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Niterói. His iconic deep and booming voice made him a hit, and he was soon tapped up by the National Radio of São Paulo.