The final farewell to esteemed Portuguese guitarist Luís Fernando is set to take place on June 14 at 9 a.m. in the chapel of the church in Torre da Marinha. “Music, like matter, disperses in the universe… I am music, and I am matter. In the universe, I am,” he wrote in a first-person message shared Friday on his official page. The note did not mention the place or date of his death.
The message provided details of the funeral, scheduled for this afternoon at the Vale Flores Crematorium, a fact confirmed by the Municipal Cemetery of Feijó in Almada. “I will continue to give you music from where I will be. Thank you all for your applause!” the message concluded.
Luís Fernando, born on October 12, 1959, made a significant impact during the 1980s as a leading figure in ‘shred’ guitar with his “fast and intense” technique. He penned the hit “Baby Suicida” for Adelaide Ferreira in 1981, establishing their partnership at the forefront of ‘Portuguese rock’.
The duo’s subsequent successes included tracks like “Trânsito,” “Quero-Te, Choro-Te, Odeio-Te, Adoro-Te,” and “Penso Em Ti (Eu Sei),” which won at the Festival da Canção in 1985. They also released albums such as “Entre Um Coco e um Adeus” (1986) and “Amantes e Mortais” (1989).
“Luís Fernando left a mark on our Music,” wrote João Carlos Callixto, a researcher and specialist in Portuguese music, on Facebook. Callixto recalled Fernando’s collaborations with artists like Mafalda Veiga, Lara Li, Trovante, and Luís Represas and his original contributions to various guitarist compilations, always displaying his passion for loud rock music.
Sites dedicated to the Festival da Canção and Eurovision in Portuguese remember Luís Fernando for songs like “Vem Um Tempo,” performed by Mário Sereno at the 1995 Festival da Canção, and “Emoção,” sung by Ricardo Afonso in 2014, along with the classic “Penso em Ti (Eu Sei).”
The online publication Roma Inversa, known for its focus on music, records, and art, highlighted Fernando’s crucial role in early albums by Mafalda Veiga, notably the iconic “Pássaros do Sul.” His evolution from a ‘shredder’ on cover music stages to a more refined acoustic guitarist was noted in collaborations with Lara Li, Trovante, Luís Represas, and in Paulo Gonzo’s “Dei-te Quase Tudo.”
Roma Inversa also acknowledged Luís Fernando’s role as a master guitarist, mentioning prominent students like Ricardo Amorim of the band Moonspell.
In 2012, the magazine Arte Sonora ranked his performance in “Amantes e Mortais” among the top ten guitar solos by Portuguese musicians. “We all know that such songs must have great guitar solos,” the magazine commented.
