Brazilian TV legend Silvio Santos dead at 93: He was best known for his show Programa Silvio Santos

Back in 2013, Forbes listed Silvio Santos as having a fortune of $1.3B which they put largely down to his Grupo Silvio Santos which controls more than 30 companies and had annual sales at that time of $2 billion.

Silvio Santos who was known for his catchphrase “Who wants money?” owned the SBT Network. The network released a statement which read: “Today heaven is happy with the arrival of our beloved Silvio Santos. He lived 93 years to bring happiness and love to all Brazilians. … That wide smile and familiar voice will forever be remembered with much gratitude.”

Silvio Santos passed away from problems caused by bronchopneumonia at a hospital in São Paulo. According to The Brazilian Report, he was “born Senor Abravanel to Sephardic Jewish immigrants of Greek and Turkish origin, Mr. Santos began his professional life at age 14 as a street vendor.”

After starting his career in the 1940s, Silvio Santos soon landed a job at the National Radio of São Paulo. As well as hosting Brazil’s version of ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire,’ he was best known for his show Programa Silvio Santos, which his daughter Patrícia became the host of in 2021. 

Silvio Santos is survived by his six daughters and wife Iris Abravanel. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva paid tribute to him on X and said:“Silvio Santos was the greatest personality in the history of Brazilian television, and one of the country’s greatest communicators.” 

Although Silvio Santos was considered a legendary entertainer, ABC News reported that “Not all of his quips landed well. He was repeatedly accused of misogyny for comments about women’s appearances or that caused discomfort. On at least two occasions, he declined to embrace female starlets on his show, saying he didn’t want to get ‘excited’ In 2016, he asked a 5-year-old girl on air whether she preferred sex, drugs or money. But, as the owner of his network, he never faced any punishment.”