Wikipedia

Gil Brother

Jaime Gil da Costa[1] (29 July 1957 – 3 December 2023), known variously as Gil Brother, Brother Away, Away de Petrópolis, Away Nilzer or simply as Away, was a Brazilian actor, humourist, dancer and YouTuber. Known for his quirky, no-nonsense demeanour, acerbic sense of humour, and frequent reliance on foul language and malapropisms, he reached fame during his stint as a member of the comedy troupe Hermes & Renato from 2002 to 2008, gaining further proeminence in the early 2010s after joining YouTube.

Gil Brother
Gil in 2013
Born
Jaime Gil da Costa

(1957-07-29)29 July 1957
Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Died3 December 2023(2023-12-03) (aged 66)
Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Resting placeCemitério de Santo Aleixo, Magé, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Other namesBrother Away
Away de Petrópolis
Away Nilzer
Occupations
  • Actor
  • humorist
  • dancer
  • YouTuber
Years active2002–2023
Known forHermes & Renato

Life and career

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Jaime Gil da Costa was born in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro on 29 July 1957, to machinist Augusto Carneiro da Costa and housewife Vânia Maria Pacheco Costa. Raised in poverty from childhood, he had to work to make ends meet – initially selling sweets made by his mother in the streets, and later as a flanelinha. By 1985, Gil had acquired a passion for dancing; he was inspired by soul and funk artists such as Little Richard and James Brown which he grew up listening to, and he began performing in commercial spaces and bus stations for money.[2] He frequently clashed with the police and ended up being arrested multiple times. Due to his tendency to get into brawls, he suffered a retinal detachment in his left eye which made it blind. It was around this time when he received his nickname "Brother Away", because of his typical shouts of "Away!" as he danced. Later, he turned this into his catchphrase.[2]

In 2002, the comedy troupe Hermes & Renato, which Gil had long been acquainted with, invited him to be a member. Initially, he played one-time characters for their sketches, the most memorable of them being the lawyer "Dr. Gilmar" for their parodic telenovela Sinhá Boça, until he began hosting his own, such as the fan-favorite "Cozinha do Away".[3] He abruptly cut ties with the troupe in 2008 citing creative differences as well as contractual and payment issues; according to Gil, he was being underpaid, and compared his tenure with the troupe to "slave labor".[2] He also ended up suing them, but the lawsuit did not move forward.[4] His allegations would later be rebutted by Hermes & Renato (then called "Banana Mecânica") in 2011.[5] After eventually making amends, Gil later appeared in many runs of the troupe's theatre play Uma Tentativa de Show beginning in 2019.[6]

Following his experience with Hermes & Renato, Gil announced he no longer intended to appear in media,[7] but in 2011 the video production company Jigsaw Produções invited him to open his own YouTube channel, the "Canal Away".[8] Jigsaw ended their contract with Gil in 2013 and deleted his channel, alleging he failed to fulfill certain obligations and explaining their reasoning in an over 30-minute YouTube video.[9] In 2015, Gil opened a new channel on his own, with the aid of his family.

Gil made his debut as a film actor in 2014, playing a beggar in the parody film Copa de Elite. In 2018, he made a guest appearance in the music video for the song "Rodei o Mundo" by the rock band Strike.[10]

In 2020, he narrated a McDonald's commercial promoting their new McShakes.[11]

Stroke, final months and death

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On 30 May 2023, it was reported that a week prior, on 23 May, Gil had suffered a stroke following an accidental fall in which he hit his head, being rushed to an ICU;[12] his family members set up a crowdfunding page for his medical expenses.[3] Gil's nephew William Passos stated that, according to his doctors, he was recovering well but would probably suffer from after-effects; he lost flexibility of his left arm and leg, but it was, as of yet, unknown if the after-effects would be permanent.[13][14][15] On 18 June, Passos announced that his uncle had left the ICU and was transferred to a bedroom at the Hospital Clínico de Corrêas in Petrópolis; he was discharged shortly after.[16]

In October 2023, following another hospital stay due to a case of pneumonia, he was diagnosed with prostate and bladder cancer,[17] eventually dying while undergoing treatment at the Hospital Eduardo Rabello in Senador Vasconcelos, West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, on 3 December 2023, at the age of 66;[18][19] he was buried two days later at the Cemitério de Santo Aleixo in Magé, where he was living with his nephew during his final years.[20][21] Former President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro posted his condolences on X, calling Gil a "true legend of Brazilian humour",[22] and his former Hermes & Renato colleagues used their respective social media profiles to pay tribute to him.[23]

References

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  1. ^ Arnaldo Branco (15 December 2008). "Coração selvagem". Rolling Stone Brasil (in Portuguese). Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Nataly Cabanas (10 March 2011). "O que é isso, Brother?". Trip (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Vaquinha para Gil Brother, do 'Hermes & Renato', ultrapassa meta: 'Gratidão'". O Globo (in Portuguese). 31 May 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Hermes e Renato detalha processo movido por Away por trabalho escravo". Notícias da TV (in Portuguese). 3 March 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Resposta de Hermes & Renato às acusações de Gil Brother". Sedentário & Hiperativo (in Portuguese). 22 March 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  6. ^ Paulo Corrêa (14 July 2019). "Hermes & Renato apresenta a peça Uma Tentativa de Show em Porto Alegre". Jornal No Palco (in Portuguese). Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  7. ^ "JB Online - Gil Brother, longe do mundo-cão da telinha". Archived from the original on 16 July 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  8. ^ "» Quem Somos - Canal Away 2.0". Archived from the original on 9 January 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  9. ^ "Produtora anuncia o FIM do Canal Away". JUDAO.com.br (in Portuguese). 4 April 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  10. ^ Carolina Amaral (25 September 2018). "Strike lança clipe descontraído com a participação de Gil Brother Away". Nação da Música (in Portuguese). Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  11. ^ Sávio Hatherly (23 January 2020). "DPZ&T e McDonald's apostam no humor para divulgar os novos McShakes". Update or Die (in Portuguese). Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  12. ^ "Ex-Hermes e Renato sofre AVC e está internado na UTI; família cria vaquinha para custear tratamento". R7.com (in Portuguese). 30 May 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Humorista Gil Brother Away tem melhora, mas ainda não há previsão de alta". G1 (in Portuguese). 31 May 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  14. ^ "Gil Brother Away completa uma semana internado e família faz apelo por orações aos fãs". G1 (in Portuguese). 30 May 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  15. ^ "Sobrinho de Gil Brother Away diz que humorista pode ficar com sequelas após o AVC". G1 (in Portuguese). 2 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  16. ^ "Após AVC, humorista Gil Brother Away deixa o CTI e vai para o quarto". G1 (in Portuguese). 18 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  17. ^ "Ex-Hermes e Renato luta contra 2 cânceres após AVC: 'Ele não vai desistir'". UOL (in Portuguese). 25 October 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  18. ^ "Gil Brother Away, ex-humorista do Hermes e Renato, morre no Rio". G1 (in Portuguese). 4 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  19. ^ "Morre o humorista Gil Brother Away, ex-Hermes e Renato, aos 66 anos". Terra (in Portuguese). 4 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  20. ^ Thaís Espírito Santo (5 December 2023). "Corpo de Gil Brother Away é enterrado em Magé, na Baixada Fluminense". G1 (in Portuguese). Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  21. ^ Péterson Neves (4 December 2023). "Gil Brother enfrentou 2 cânceres, AVC e tentativa de golpe antes de morrer". Splash (in Portuguese). Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  22. ^ "Bolsonaro lamenta morte do comediante Gil Brother: 'Uma verdadeira lenda do humor brasileiro'". O Globo (in Portuguese). 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  23. ^ Lara Teixeira (5 December 2023). "Hermes e Renato prestam homenagem a Gil Brother e relembram início de parceria". Tenho Mais Discos que Amigos (in Portuguese). Retrieved 4 March 2024.
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