Brazilian musician identified as victim of 1976 killing by Argentina military

"Early on 18 March 1976, Francisco Tenorio Cerqueira Junior, 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 Tenorio Junior's body and confirming he was a victim of Argentina's bloody dictatorship."

"One critic praised him as a pianist with hands of gold and an enormous future. On 17 March 1976, during a South American tour, he performed alongside the Brazilian legends Vinicius de Moraes and Toquinho at the Gran Rex in Buenos Aires. Around three o'clock the following morning, the 34-year-old left his downtown hotel in search of cigarettes and aspirin, and was never seen again."

"In the days that followed, his fellow musicians searched frantically, combing through the hospitals and morgues. Moraes, the lyricist of The Girl from Ipanema, filed a habeas corpus writ and appealed directly to the Brazilian ambassador. By then, Tenorinho, a husband and father of four, was already dead: he had been seized by the Argentinian military and executed, his body dumped in wasteland 30km away."

Francisco Tenorio Cerqueira Junior, known as Tenorinho, disappeared in Buenos Aires early on 18 March 1976 after leaving his hotel during a South American tour. He had just performed with Vinicius de Moraes and Toquinho and went out for cigarettes and aspirin. Fellow musicians searched hospitals and morgues and Moraes filed a habeas corpus and appealed to the Brazilian ambassador. Forensic scientists from the Argentinian Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF) have now formally identified his remains and confirmed he was seized by the Argentinian military, executed, and his body dumped in wasteland 30km away during the lead-up to the 1976 coup.

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