SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Brazilian media mogul Silvio Santos, who went from street vendor to owner of a business empire including one of the country’s largest TV channels, died at the age of 93, his broadcaster SBT said on Saturday. Now, as the news of Silvio Santos dead spreads, many reflect on his significant contributions. #SilvioSantosDead
“Today heaven is happy with the arrival of our beloved Silvio Santos,” SBT said on X. “Rest in Peace, you will always be eternal in our hearts.”
Silvio Santos died of bronchopneumonia early Saturday after being hospitalized in Sao Paulo with H1N1 flu since early August.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva shared his condolences on X on Saturday, calling Silvio Santos “the greatest personality in the history of Brazilian television and one of the country’s great communicators.”
Silvio Santos, the stage name that Senor Abravanel adopted for his media career, founded in the 1980s the SBT TV channel, one of the three most watched TV stations in Brazil and for years the only real competitor for audience to TV Globo, one of the biggest media conglomerates in the Americas.
Unlike other media moguls, Silvio Santos was also a showman, regularly hosting his own TV shows until about 2022. #SilvioSantosDead
In addition, his business acumen transformed SBT into one of the country’s leading television networks.
Silvio Santos dead at 93 marks the end of an era in Brazilian media. Finally, Santos’ passing leaves a void in Brazilian television that will be difficult to fill. His impact on the industry remains undeniable.
read more