The impact of Marília Mendonça’s death on Brazilian music

Brazil’s “Queen of Suffering” has died at the age of 26. Marília Mendonça was flying in a small charter plane to the city of Caratinga, in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais, where she was set to perform a concert. The plane crashed killing all passengers aboard. Ms. Mendonça leaves behind an infant son and dozens of millions of fans.

Ms. Mendonça grew up in Goiânia, the heartland of sertanejo, Brazil’s answer to country music. Like in the U.S., sertanejo moved from being considered somewhat corny and idiosyncratic to becoming a mainstream sensation — at times indistinguishable from pop music. Sertanejo artists such as Gusttavo Lima or Michel Teló found international success, selling millions of albums and headlining sold-out shows.

As sertanejo grew in...