Brazilian writer, guru to rightwing Bolsonaro, dead at 74

Olavo de Carvalho, a writer and philosopher who was considered a guru to President Jair Bolsonaro and others in Brazil's far right, has died at age 74, his family said Tuesday.

De Carvalho died Monday night in the US state of Virginia, where he had lived since 2005. The cause of death was not given but the writer had dealt with several health issues over the past year and on January 16 he announced he had tested positive for Covid-19.

De Carvalho was known for fiery conservative rhetoric that made him a hero to the far right in Brazil.

He had millions of followers on social media and gave paid online lectures that were a cocktail of philosophy and politics.

The fierce anti-communist was, like Bolsonaro, skeptical of the danger of the coronavirus.

The writer was highly influential around the time Bolsonaro came to power in 2018. Several of the people that Bolsonaro named as cabinet ministers had been suggested by de Carvalho.

But in recent times he distanced himself from the president and has said Bolsonaro's drive for re-election this year is "a lost cause."

Bolsonaro remembered him fondly anyway, calling him "one of the greatest thinkers in the history of our country."

"Olavo was a giant in the fight for freedom and a beacon for millions of Brazilians," the president tweeted.

Steve Bannon, a leader of the so-called alt-right in the United States and former adviser to ex-president Donald Trump, once called de Carvalho one of the world's greatest living intellectuals.

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