The former bank manager who became the biggest cover of Carmen Miranda

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Eric Barreto gave fantastic presentations at a time when transsexual shows were successful not only in gay clubs, but also on TV. Born in Garanhuns, Pernambuco, Barreto was known as the best cover of the star Carmen Miranda. The former bank manager left his bureaucratic job and plunged into his artistic career, gaining fame and success mainly in the Rio-São Paulo axis.

Before reaching stardom, Barreto played the character Diana Finsk, where he performed covers of international pop artists. His personification as Carmen Miranda even caught the attention of the actress’ sister, Aurora Miranda, who nominated him to participate in the 1995 docudrama “Bananas is my Business”.

Barreto studied every detail of the Hollywood diva to reproduce her performance perfectly. Those who attended his presentations had the feeling that they were facing the celebrity who took Brazil to the world. He went beyond the LGBTQIA+ night circuit (which at the time was still called GLS) by migrating to TV, participating in several auditorium shows such as Silvio Santos‘ “Show de Calouros” in the 1980s and 1990s, winning five consecutive victories.

However, at that time, despite the existence of the AZT cocktail, Eric Barreto suffered from opportunistic diseases caused by AIDS, dying at the age of 34 in 1996. He was buried in the same cemetery where his great inspiration was buried, at São João Batista Cemetery, in Botafogo.

Who was Carmen Miranda

Born in Portugal in 1909, she used to say she was Brazilian, as she came to the country as a baby. In 1930, she was successful recording the marchinha “Pra você gostar de mim”.

After that, he started to venture into cinema, where he made a musical comedy, still in the 1930s, which became a great success in national cinema. Her tropical side and her peculiar voice, attracted the attention of international producers and in 1939, at the age of 30, the star moved to the United States, starting a successful career in Hollywood.

A few years later, she married her manager. The use of drugs, alcohol and amphetamines increased after the union. At 46, Carmen was found dead in her Beverly Hills mansion, victim of a massive heart attack.

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