Nelson Ned

Nelson Ned d'Ávila Pinto (2 March 1947, Ubá – 5 January 2014, Rio de Janeiro) was a famous Brazilian singer-songwriter from Ubá, Minas Gerais. He built a solid career as a singer and composer of sentimental, suffering songs, rising to popularity in Brazil and Latin America in 1969 and becoming known internationally, especially in Portugal, France and Spain. In 1971 he released his first Spanish album, "Canción Popular" and performed in the USA, Latin America, Europe, and Africa.

He was the first Latin artist to sell a million records in the U.S. with his hit "Happy Birthday My Darling" in 1974. He did instrumental work for the "Electric Moog Orchestra" in 1977. After his religious conversion in 1993, he only recorded Christian Evangelical songs in both Portuguese, Spanish and some in English.

Nelson Ned d'Ávila Pinto was born in 1947 in Ubá, the eldest of seven siblings. He was the only sibling to develop dwarfism; as an adult he was just 1.12 m (44 inches) tall.

Ned married twice, and had three children with his second wife, María Aparecida. All three of his children developed dwarfism: Nelson Ned Junior (1.08 m [42.5 inches]), a musician now living in Mexico; Monalisa Ned d'Ávila, a doctor, and Ana Verónica Ned Pinto (90 cm [35.5 inches]), a singer and acrobat.

Nelson Ned died at age 66 from pneumonia and cardiac arrest at Rio de Janeiro hospital on Sunday 5 January 2014.

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Wikipedia