Pedro Ortaça, Last Tronco Missioneiro, Dies at 83

Overview

• The singer and composer died after complications following surgery at the Hospital de Clínicas de Ijuí, with family and media reporting three cardiorespiratory arrests before his death on Friday, May 29, 2026.
• Reports say he underwent operations this week that included an amputation, a detail attributed to hospital and family sources and described with limited attribution in coverage.
• Ortaça was widely known as the 'último Tronco Missioneiro' for his role in the 1988 Tronco Missioneiro collaboration and for bringing the history and social critique of the Missões region to a national audience.
• His repertoire included songs such as 'Timbre de Galo' and 'Bailanta do Tibúrcio' and his most recent release was 'Pena Guarany,' a collaboration with his son Gabriel Ortaça.
• Funeral rites will begin in Ijuí with a later ceremony in his hometown São Luiz Gonzaga, and his passing is likely to focus renewed attention on missioneira music, regional heritage and his long record of supporting indigenous causes.