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 Brazil's pop-rock scene suffers a severe blow with
the tragic death of Marcelo Frommer, who was
a member of Titãs, one of the nation's biggest rock bands
By Ernest Barteldes
Last June 11th rock guitarist Marcelo Frommer left his São Paulo home to go jogging a
little after it got dark, at around 6:30 PM. Due to the energy consumption restraints that
plague Brazil, there were no public lights on, so visibility was limited. As he attempted
to cross the street, a speeding motorcycle ran over him and left without attempting to
offer any help—a typical hit-and-run situation. Frommer fell on the floor and hit his
head on a curb.
For thirty minutes, as ambulances rushed through the large city's chaotic rush-hour
traffic (where traffic can be worse than in New York, believe it or not), Frommer lay on a
puddle of his own blood and was finally taken to nearby Hospital das Clínicas, where he
went into a deep coma never to wake up, despite of the valiant efforts of his doctors, who
tried their best to save the musician's life.
Two days later he was pronounced brain-dead, to the grief of millions of Brazilian
fans. He was 39 years old. As of this writing, São Paulo police has no clue on who was
riding the motorbike that prematurely killed the musician. According to the Brazilian
press, the biker fled into the darkness, and the few eyewitnesses were unable to get a
description or a license plate number.
His band, The Titãs (The Titans), founded almost 20 years ago, is one of Brazil's most
popular rock groups .Over the eighties and nineties, they scored an enormous number of
hits, such as "Comida" (Food, later recorded by diva Marisa
Monte), "Marvin", "Go Back" and many others. Their live
concerts have always been sold out, and their popularity crosses generational
barriers—their fans include teenagers who grew up with the MTV specials (one of the
band's biggest-selling albums to date is their MTV Unplugged) and people on their
twenties or even thirties who have been following the band ever since their debut single,
"Sonífera Ilha" (something like "Sleepy Island").
Upon receiving the confirmation of Frommer's brain death, his immediate family looked
beyond their grief and courageously set an example by agreeing to donate the musician's
organs. His surviving bandmates, plus former Titãs member Arnaldo Antunes (who
quit the band a few years back but continues to collaborate with them in compositions)
issued a statement to the press shortly after Frommer's passing was confirmed:
"Our brother Marcelo Frommer is dead. Marcelo was for us a permanent giver of
happiness. It is impossible for us to express in words the importance that he had not only
in our music but also in the lives of every one of us. Just as his organs will continue to
live in other peoples' bodies, his art will continue to live in the music and in the
spirit of the Titãs."
Many of you might be asking why the man who ran him over fled the scene of the
accident. In my opinion, he did so because of Brazil's harsh and often unfair traffic
laws. In that country, when there is an accident such as the one that cost Marcelo
Frommer's life, the driver is always considered guilty, regardless of the circumstances
that lead to it. Even if one stops and rescues the victim, he or she faces imprisonment and
prosecution, and that is definitely not encouraging for drivers to help victims in
life-threatening accidents.
Marcelo Frommer's passing is the second blow to Brazil's pop scene in recent months.
Earlier this year, Paralamas do Sucesso leader Herbert Vianna suffered a tragic air
accident near Rio de Janeiro that killed his wife and left him paraplegic. According to
that band's website, they are back to practicing, but have no idea as of when they will
get back to business. Ironically, the two bands (Titãs and Paralamas)
frequently shared the stage, playing together as a 11-piece band.
Will Titãs go on without Frommer? My guess would be that they will, once they
take enough time to grieve their friend's loss. Not only does their press statement
indirectly point to that ("...his art will continue to live in the music and in the
spirit of the Titãs."), but over the years they have survived crucial line-up
changes, such as Arnaldo Antunes' defection. In the meantime, however, it is indeed a sad
moment for Brazilian rock.
Ernest Barteldes is an ESL, GED and Portuguese teacher. In addition to
that, he is a freelance writer who has been contributing to Brazzil since December
2000. His work has also been published by The Greenwich Village Gazette, The
Staten Island Advance, The Staten Island Register, The SI Muse, The
Villager, GLSSite and other publications. He lives in Staten Island, NY. He can
be reached at ebarteldes@nycny.net
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