Roberto Müller

Roberto Müller was a Brazilian singer and composer of romantic ballads and boleros, known to generations of listeners as "O romântico Pingo de Ouro do Brasil." Born José Ribamar da Silva in Piracuruca, Piauí, on 17 February 1937, he died in Recife, Pernambuco, on 24 September 2026 at the age of 89 from complications of pneumonia after years of serious illness.

He began his artistic career in 1955 at Rádio Timbira in São Luís, Maranhão. He later moved to Rio de Janeiro, where national exposure on radio and television helped establish him as a popular interpreter of sentimental songs. In 1963 he recorded "Nunca Mais Brigarei Contigo," one of the early landmarks of his catalogue. Over more than six decades he released dozens of albums (Portuguese Wikipedia lists about 50 LPs and 15 CDs; contemporary reports often cite roughly 80 LPs), earned six gold discs, and became closely associated with songs such as "Entre Espumas," "Sofro por ti" and "Nunca mais brigarei contigo." The nickname "Pingo de Ouro" was given by the television presenter Chacrinha.

In 2002 a Piauí state textbook, Educação sem fronteiras, wrongly stated that he had died young. Müller discovered the error in 2007 when a fan showed him the book at a show in Teresina. He sued the state for moral damages; according to his family speaking to G1 after his death, the case did not produce a meaningful result. Health problems later dominated his final years. He suffered strokes beginning around 2009 to 2010, lived with the effects of heart attack and Alzheimer disease, and had been bedridden for about six years. He had lived in Recife for more than three decades. His granddaughter Lídia Queiroz and the composer and business associate Dagmar Pereira were among those who cared for him.

He was admitted to hospital in Recife on 13 September 2026 with pneumonia and died there on 24 September. The municipal government of Piracuruca issued a note of condolence the same day. A wake and burial were held on 25 September at the Cemitério de Santo Amaro in Recife. Brazilian outlets including G1, Metrópoles and regional papers remembered a northeastern idol whose romantic repertoire had accompanied decades of popular listening.