Nelsinho Rodrigues Filho, Founder of Rio’s Bloco do Barbas, Dies at 79

Overview

• He died in Rio de Janeiro on February 25, 2026 at age 79, according to his daughter, Cristiane Rodrigues.
• He had been hospitalized at Hospital Unimed Barra since February 18 with pneumonia and a urinary infection, following long-term effects of a prior stroke.
• A wake will be held Thursday at Fluminense’s Laranjeiras headquarters, with burial at São João Batista Cemetery in Botafogo.
• The Ministry of Culture, Fluminense, Sebastiana and the Bloco do Barbas issued official condolences recognizing his cultural legacy.
• He founded the Bloco do Barbas in 1985 and previously spent seven years imprisoned as an MR-8 militant during the military dictatorship.