In comments to Lusa, Portugal’s secretary of state for communities abroad, José Luís Carneiro, described Leal’s passing as “a profound loss for the Portuguese community … in Brazil and more specifically in São Paulo". The singer was, he said, a symbol of the symbiosis between Portuguese traditional and popular music and Brazilian culture.

Leal – whose real name was António Joaquim Fernandes – emigrated to Brazil in 1962, aged 11, together with the parents and nine siblings.

He worked as a cobbler and selling sweets in São Paulo before beginning his singing career.

The governor of São Paulo state, João Dória, said on Sunday that Leal would be missed as someone who was "Portuguese by birth but with a Brazilian soul".

Portugal’s consul-general in the city, Paulo Nascimento, said the singer was a “symbol” of Portuguese culture in Brazil and “a good bridge” between the two peoples.

In Portugal, comedian and television presenter Herman José agreed that Leal had “done a lot for Portugal in Brazil”, adding that “as well as being an excellent professional, we have lost an extraordinary human being.”

Leal had in recent years gained prominence in his native Portugal by taking part in reality shows.