President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva published a message on social media paying tribute to Jards Macalé, the actor, musician and composer died this Monday (17), aged 82. 
“Jards Macalé said that love is a political gesture. And that in times of hatred and intrigue like the ones we have recently experienced, few people talked about love, and so it was just about singing it. This worldview brought me closer to Jards: politics and love must go together. They cannot be separated. I was with Jards in the fight for redemocratization. We met again several times over the years”, said the president, remembering that the artist participated in his inauguration ceremony in 2023.
“He has always defended the appreciation of culture and transformed his talent and art into a constant fight against authoritarianism,” added the president.
Caetano Veloso
Singer Caetano Veloso also paid tribute to his musical partner, one of those responsible for the 1972 album Transa.
“Without Macalé there would be no ‘Transa’. I’m crying because he died today. He was my first music friend from Rio. Before Bethânia imagined that she would be called to ‘Opinião’, Alvaro Guimarães, a theater director from Bahia, brought me to Rio to edit and mix the short film for which I had written the score. I ended up at Macalé’s house. And he played the guitar. I was enchanted”, he said.
“He played with Beta, released compositions, I called him to London and ‘Transa’. When he came back, he and I continued with the music. May the music continue to maintain the essence of this beloved Ipanemian native”, he wrote.
