The Molejo team is the victim of a robbery just hours after the death of singer Anderson Leonardo

Part of the team from the group Molejo was the victim of a robbery on Friday, the 26th, the day of the death of the composer, instrumentalist and vocalist of the band Anderson Leonardo, aged 51. The artist, who was diagnosed with inguinal cancer in 2022, had complications from the disease and did not survive.

The artist’s death was reported early in the afternoon. Around 11pm, the group’s press office published a note informing about the robbery. The team did not detail what was stolen or the circumstances of the crime, but stated that the theft resulted in the interruption of their telephone and WhatsApp communications.

“We are currently in the process of recovering and resuming our operations. We ask for the understanding of the press and other interested parties as we deal with this situation”, says the text.

Pagoda old school icon

Hours earlier, the group’s profile had announced the death of the lead singer. “Our warrior Anderson Leonardo fought bravely, but unfortunately was defeated by cancer, but he will always be remembered by all his family, friends and his immense legion of fans, for his genius, strength and love for the stage and ‘Molejo’. His presence and Joy was a light that illuminated the lives of everyone around her, and she will be deeply missed and never forgotten, we love you,” the statement said.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Anderson was the son of music producer Ubirajara de Souza, known as “Bira Haway”. Still young, the vocalist was already playing with his colleague Andrezinho, with whom he founded Molejo at the end of the 1980s.

On October 13, 2022, Anderson revealed that he was diagnosed with inguinal cancer. On social media, the artist explained that it was a hidden primary tumor. He had already started medical treatment and decided, at the time, that he would remain active professionally and maintain his concert schedule with the pagode group.

Four months later, the singer claimed to have been cured of inguinal cancer in the groin area, after treatment. In March of the same year, Anderson announced that he would resume cancer treatment. According to the artist, swelling in the testicle region led him to see a doctor and have confirmation of the reappearance of the disease.

With a sequence of hospitalizations due to clinical complications, the last public information about the singer’s health condition was on April 22, when it was announced that he had been admitted again to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Hospital Unimed-Rio .

Also known as “Molejão”, the group has established itself as one of the great Brazilian pagode bands. Their first album, Grupo Molejo, was released in 1994, yielded “Caçamba”, the group’s first hit, and the irreverent style of the compositions guaranteed hits such as “Cilada” and “Dança da Vassoura”.

Anderson led the group for 35 years and participated in several television programs, always with good humor. “Our brand is joy, it’s irreverence”, he said on the program The Noite, in 2015. He said he was part of the “old guard” of pagode, open to collaborating with new artists such as Thiaguinho, Ludmilla and Leo Santana.

Married to administrator Paula Cardoso, Anderson Leonardo leaves four children: Alissa, Rafael Phelipe, Leozinho Bradock and Alice.