Renato Russo(1960-1996)
- Writer
- Actor
- Composer
Renato Russo (born Renato Manfredini, Jr., was a Brazilian singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the alternative rock band Legião Urbana. A Brazilian film depicting his life and career was released in 2013, called Somos Tão Jovens (We Are So Young). He started his studies at an early age, at Colégio Olavo Billac. During this period he wrote an essay titled "Old house, in ruins". His father was an executive at Banco do Brasil, and the family moved to Forest Hills, Queens, New York in 1967, when he was assigned a job in the city. Renato and his family returned later to Rio de Janeiro and moved in with his uncle Sávio. At 18 years old, he came out as bisexual to his mother, and in 1988 he made it public by writing the song "Meninos e Meninas" ("Boys n' Girls") with the chorus stating, in English, "I like St. Paul, I like St. John, I like St. Francis and St. Sebastian, and I like boys and girls."
