Dorival Caymmi, a Brazilian composer and singer known as the "Grandfather of Bossa Nova," has died at age 94.

Caymmi died Saturday at his home in Rio de Janeiro of kidney cancer and multiple organ failure.

His 1939 hit song What does the Bahiana Have? brought entertainer Carmen Miranda to the attention of a U.S. producer, launching her Hollywood career in the 1940s.

He was very influential on Brazilian popular music, and his style has been copied by singers such as João Gilberto, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Beth Carvalho.

Caymmi's career spanned more than 60 years, and he composed more than 100 songs and recorded nearly 20 albums.

He had a deep intimate voice and a style based on Afro-Brazilian rhythms and the indigenous folk sounds of the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia, his birthplace.

Bossa nova pioneer Antonio Carlos Jobim once called him a "universal genius" and his country's greatest composer.

3 days of mourning

The state governors of Bahia and Rio declared three days of official mourning to honor Caymmi.

Born April 30, 1914, in Salvador, the capital of Bahia province, he was a reporter with the Bahia's newspaper O Imparcial before moving to Rio de Janeiro in 1937.

He wrote songs at the same time he wrote for a Rio newspaper. His big breakthrough was Miranda's recording of O que E que a Baiana Tem?/ What does the Bahiana Have? for the film Banana-da-Terra.

Miranda went on to be known for her fruit-filled hats and bossa nova got a foothold in North America.

Several of his songs honoured his roots in the northern province of Bahia, including Voce Ja foi a Bahia? (Have You Ever Been to Bahia?) and Saudades de Itapoa (Yearning for Itapoa).

He often wrote songs about the lives of the working class, such as Promessa de Pescador and Suíte dos Pescadores, both about fishermen.

He also was known for extolling the beauty of women, in the recording studio and beyond, and was known as a womanizer.

Caymmi wrote for Brazilian cinema and was a presence on radio, performing his own songs.

There he met Adelaide Tostes, who went by the stage name of Stella Maris, and she became his wife.

She survives him, as do their three children, Dori, Danilo and Nana, all of whom had distinguished musical careers.