Jaime do Rosário, a former member of the musical group Os Tubarões, died in the early morning hours today, October 12, in Portuguese capital Lisbon. Jaime, who played the saxophone and several other instruments, had been ill for some time.

São Nicolau native Jaime do Rosário, 65, passed away in the early morning hours of Sunday after a lengthy illness. Zeca Couto, his bandmate in Os Tubarões, remembers the deceased as an "individual with a certain profile, with his own way of thinking." He also recalls that Jaime "used to say that he should be buried wherever he happened to die, but now it's up to his family to decide if his body should be repatriated to Cape Verde."

Two days ago, the Cape Verdean Embassy in Lisbon issued a press release saying that Jaime do Rosário had been hospitalized in Lisbon since September 26, and that his prognosis was "reserved."

In truth, the musician had been in bad health for quite some time. Rosário had been hospitalized on several occasions in Praia, where he had been living for a number of years. According to one source, he had traveled to Portugal for cataract treatment, but once there ended up facing kidney and other complications as well.

Born on the island of São Nicolau, Jaime do Rosário worked for the Bank of Cape Verde until his retirement. He joined Os Tubarões in 1973 and participated on most of the group's albums. In addition to his work in banking and music, Jaime do Rosário also served one term as a legislator in the National Assembly, representing the MpD for the island of São Nicolau between 1991 and 1995.