Nelson Ned, Florid Brazilian Balladeer, Dies at 66

Nelson Ned, a Brazilian singer of small stature and large voice who was hailed throughout Latin America as the “Little Giant of Song,” died on Sunday in São Paolo. He was 66.

The cause was complications of pneumonia, the health ministry of the state of São Paolo said.

Mr. Ned stood just 3-foot-8, but his polished tenor voice gave weight and polish to the romantic ballads for which he became famous. Performing in an unabashedly sentimental style, with a sense of showmanship that some compared to Liberace, Mr. Ned sang mostly in Portuguese and Spanish. First he captivated audiences in Brazil, then Spanish listeners throughout South and Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico.

He brought his exuberantly florid act to the United States, performing at Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden, and became one of the first Latin American artists to sell a million records with his “Happy Birthday, My Darling” in 1974. He sold nearly 50 million records altogether.

Nelson Ned d’Ávila Pinto was born in Ubá, Brazil, on March 2, 1947, the eldest of seven children who all had names beginning with “Ne” — Nelson, Nelia and so on. His parents began taking him to auditions at 5, and he quickly gained attention by winning talent contests, appearing on television and singing in clubs.

He made his first recording in 1968: a song he wrote with Hamilton Gouveia Bastos called “Tamanho Não é Documento.” The title loosely translates as “Size Doesn’t Matter.”

The next year he began touring internationally. He performed in Latin America, the United States, Europe and Africa.

Mr. Ned’s best-known Portuguese ballads include “Domingo à Tarde,” “Tudo Passará” and “Eu Também Sou Sentimental.” Among his Spanish-language hits was “Si Las Flores Pudieran Hablar.”

After 1993, Mr. Ned recorded only Christian songs, explaining that he had had a profound religious experience. In 2003 he suffered a stroke, which kept him in bed for months. He had diabetes and was also said to be experiencing the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

Mr. Ned’s survivors include his wife, Maria Aparecida, and three children.