Brazilian musician identified as victim of 1976 killing by Argentina military

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Brazilian musician identified as victim of 1976 killing by Argentina military

The bossa nova pianist Francisco Tenório Cerqueira Júnior went out for cigarettes after a concert in Buenos Aires – a forensic team has finally revealed his fate

Harriet Barber in Buenos Aires
Sun 14 Sep 2025 10.00 BST
Last modified on Sun 14 Sep 2025 10.01 BST

Early on 18 March 1976, Francisco Tenório Cerqueira Júnior, a Brazilian pianist who had played alongside some of Latin America’s greatest musicians, disappeared from the streets of Buenos Aires.

For nearly 50 years, his fate has remained a mystery, sparking desperate searches, raising suspicions of government complicity, and inspiring international documentaries. Now the mystery has been solved, with forensic scientists formally identifying Tenório Júnior’s body – and confirming he was a victim of Argentina’s bloody dictatorship.

“He left his hotel in the centre of the city and the earth ate him,” said Carlos “Maco” Somigliana of the Argentinian Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF). “Nothing more was ever known – until now.”

Tenório Júnior, known to most as Tenorinho, was regarded as one of the leading figures of the bossa nova movement – Brazil’s celebrated fusion of samba and jazz. One critic praised him as a pianist with “hands of gold” and an “enormous future”.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/14/francisco-tenorio-cerqueira-junior-murdered-argentina-military