| Sérgio Ricardo | |
| Birth Name: | João Lutfi |
| Birth Date: | 18 June 1932 |
| Birth Place: | Marília, São Paulo, Brazil |
| Death Place: | Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Occupation: | Film director, composer |
| Yearsactive: | 1964-2020 |
João Lutfi (18 June 1932 – 23 July 2020), known professionally as Sérgio Ricardo, was a Brazilian film director and composer.[1] He directed five films between 1964 and 1974.
Born in the city of Marília, São Paulo, his father, Abdalla Lutfi, and mother, Maria Mansur, were both of Syrian descent.[2] [3] In 1967 he gained attention when taking part in the third Festival de Música Popular Brasileira, in which he performed a rearranged version of "Beto bom de bola".[4] The audience disliked the fact that he would not perform the original version and booed him during the whole performance.[4] At a certain moment, he gave up playing, shouted "You won!" at the audience, broke his acoustic guitar and threw it at the crowd.[4] He was then immediately disqualified.[4]
He was infected with COVID-19, and became COVID-negative in May 2020. However, he died without being discharged on 23 July 2020, a month after his 88th birthday, of heart failure.[5]