Queen of the Carnaval: lesbian Brazilian rocker Cassia Eller dies just as her career was really taking off. (music).

Cassia Eller, the lesbian Brazilian rock singer sometimes called the "South American Melissa Etheridge," died in Santa Maria Hospital in Rio de Janeiro on December 29. Sadly, Eller's death occurred before she was known to U.S. audiences but not before making a significant impact on her homeland. According to hospital representative Gedalias Heringer, Eller had been admitted to the hospital earlier in the day in what appeared to be an "agitated and disoriented" state due to a probable "external intoxication." At press time, Eller's initial autopsy indicated that neither narcotics nor alcohol was in her system at time of death.

Eller's seventh and most recent CD, a performance of material from her MTV Unplugged appearance, titled Acustico MTV, was a top seller, and her performance at 2001's annual Rock in Rio concert was a festival highlight, as fans joined her in a sing along of one of her hits, "I Just Ask God for a Little Indecency."

A high school drop-out, Eller quickly became an underground favorite with the release of her self-titled debut in 1990. The CD contained "Rubens," an ambiguous love song that was censored by Brazilian authorities. She followed that with the release of 1992's E.C.T., a battle cry for sexual freedom. In 1993 before the birth of her son, Francesco, Eller went public with the news that she had been in a long-term relationship with Eugenia Vieira Martins. She said she came out so that her son could grow up without hearing rumors about his mom.

Throughout the 1990s, fans embraced Eller's irreverent image. In addition to occasionally sporting a Mohawk and baring her breasts on TV shows, Eller posed nude for the photos inside the CD package of her breakout release, Com Voce ... Meu Mondo Ficaria Completo (With You ... My World Would Be Complete). The CD, a live compilation, went gold and earned her a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Brazilian Rock Album in 2000. Eller's voice was gaining her a larger audience, as was her ability to interpret songs as diverse as Nirvana's angst anthem "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" (which she sang in English in a hilarious Carmen Miranda-like accent.)

In 2001 it seemed Eller's future was brighter than ever. She received another Latin Grammy nomination for her song "O Segundo Sol," and her CD Acustico MTV was certified gold. Eller is survived by Martins, her partner of 14 years, and their 8-year-old son, Francesco. Eller was 39 years old.

Gdula is a freelance writer who has also written for The Washington Post.