Journalist Claudio Julio Tognolli dies at age 60

Journalist Claudio Julio Tognolli died this Sunday morning (3), aged 60, in São Paulo. He was admitted to Albert Einstein hospital due to complications following a heart transplant carried out on January 25 of this year. According to the hospital, he passed away shortly after 9 am. He leaves Numa Rigueira Dantas Levy, 36 years old, his wife, and two children.

The wake is being held at the Funeral Home, on Rua São Carlos do Pinhal, 376, in the Bela Vista neighborhood, in the capital of São Paulo. He will be cremated at the same location at midnight.

Born in São Paulo, Tognolli was born on August 23, 1963. He was a journalist who graduated from the University of São Paulo (USP), with a doctorate from the same institution. In 1997, winner of the Jabuti for Literature for the book “The Century of Crime”, which addresses the origins of major criminal organizations in the world.

In addition, Tognolli wrote “A Sociedade dos Chavões” (2002), the result of a master’s thesis that contains a list of “common places”; “The Fallacy of Genetics” (2003), which analyzes the way the media approach scientific issues; “Lobão 50 Anos a Mil” (2010), biography of singer Lobão written together with the artist; “Welcome to Hell” (2015), about doctor Roger Abdelmassih; “Blood Ties” (2017), which tells the story of the PCC; Traidores da Pátria” (2019), about the brothers Wesley and Joesley Batista and their relationship with JBS, among others.

He was also a professor at the ECA (School of Communication and Arts) at USP and a member of the ICIJ (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, or, in Portuguese, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists).

The journalist worked for several Brazilian media outlets such as the newspapers Folha de S. Paulo and Jornal da Tarde, the magazines Galileu, Rolling Stone and Consultor Jurídica and the radio stations CBN and Eldorado. More recently, he also spent time on Jovem Pan radio, where he was part of the programs “Morning Show” and “Os pingos nos Is”.

Tognolli was founder and member of the 1st board of directors of the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji), elected at USP in December 2002. In a statement, the entity expressed solidarity with the journalist’s family.

“Tognolli was a notable name in Brazilian journalism, working as a writing professional and in training young journalists, as a professor at USP. He was founder and director of Abraji, contributing to the debate on the social function of the profession. We offer solidarity to family and friends and regret this loss”, says the document.