Yoñlu

About

Brazilian singer-songwriter known for the posthumous release of his work after his suicide at age 16. As a teen, he developed an online presence, starting to record his daily life at the age of 13. He collaborated with other visual artists and musicians, such as Sabrepulse. After his death, his albums Yoñlu and A Society in Which No Tear Is Shed Is Inconceivably Mediocre were released in 2008 and 2009, respectively. In 2018, a film based on his life, titled Yonlu, was released. 

Before Fame

He and his family moved to France when he was 3, and then returned to Brazil when he was 7. His interest in music surfaced at age 4, when he tried the drums, before moving on to piano and guitar. He started therapy at 9 for what his father called a "chemical imbalance". In May of 2006, he began to post more frequently online about ending his life. 

Trivia

His real name is Vinícius Gageiro Marques. He taught himself to speak Welsh and to read Spanish. On the day of his death, he told his parents he was throwing a barbecue and asked them to leave. He had posted to an online forum asking for help in committing suicide. It was an online friend of his who contacted the Porto Alegre police and gave them his address, where they found him deceased. He left behind a CD-R with some of his music and a suicide note addressed to his parents, clearing them of blame and thanking them. 

Family Life

His mother was a psychoanalyst, and his father was a college professor as well as former Secretary of Culture.

Associated With

David Byrne, former Talking Heads frontman, looked into his story and was part of having his second album released.