SAO PAULO. Silvio Santos, the legendary Brazilian media mogul who rose from humble beginnings as a street vendor to become the owner of one of Brazil’s largest television networks, passed away at the age of 93. His broadcaster, SBT, announced the news on Saturday, confirming his death due to bronchopneumonia following complications from H1N1 flu.
“Today, heaven is happy with the arrival of our beloved Silvio Santos,” SBT shared on X (formerly Twitter). “Rest in Peace, you will always be eternal in our hearts.”
Silvio Santos, born Senor Abravanel, was a towering figure in Brazilian television. He founded SBT (Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão) in the 1980s, which quickly became one of the country’s most-watched TV stations. For years, SBT was the only real competitor to TV Globo, one of the largest media conglomerates in the Americas.
Unlike many media moguls, Santos was not just a behind-the-scenes figure. He was also a beloved showman, hosting his own TV programs until about 2022. Known for his charismatic presence, Santos captivated audiences with game shows that became particularly popular among lower-income families. One of his signature moves was to throw paper planes made of money into the audience, sparking a scramble as viewers tried to catch them.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his condolences on X, calling Silvio Santos “the greatest personality in the history of Brazilian television and one of the country’s great communicators.”
Silvio Santos was the son of Sephardic Jewish immigrants who had settled in Rio de Janeiro’s Lapa district after leaving the former Ottoman Empire. He began his career as a teenager selling plastic covers for cards on the streets, a job that led him to be discovered by a radio station, where he was hired as an announcer. His charm and talent soon took him to television, where he hosted various shows in the 1960s and 1970s, including on TV Globo, before founding SBT in 1981.
Over the decades, Santos built a vast business empire that included a cosmetics company, a financial firm, and significant real estate holdings. In 2016, Forbes estimated his net worth to be over $1 billion.
Santos’s life was not without drama. In 2001, he made headlines when he was kidnapped for seven hours, just days after his daughter was also taken hostage. The harrowing event was broadcast live by local TV stations, further cementing his place in the nation’s collective consciousness.
Silvio Santos is survived by his six daughters—two from his first marriage, including one who was adopted, and four from his second marriage to Íris Passaro Abravanel. His legacy as a media pioneer and beloved television personality will undoubtedly endure for generations.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
