Alfredo Le Pera

Alfredo Le Pera
Born
Alfredo Le Pera

(1900-06-07)June 7, 1900
DiedJune 24, 1935(1935-06-24) (aged 35)
Cause of deathAviation accident
Resting placeLa Chacarita Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Occupations
  • Journalist
  • Lyricist
  • Screenwriter
  • Dramatist
Years active1920–1935
Known forCollaboration with Carlos Gardel
Notable work
Parent(s)Alfonso Le Pera
Maria Sorrentino

Alfredo Le Pera (7 June 1900 – 24 June 1935) was a Brazilian-born Argentine journalist, screenwriter, dramatist and lyricist, best known for his highly productive collaboration with tango singer Carlos Gardel between 1932 and 1935.

Together, they created some of tango's most enduring classics, including "Por una cabeza", "Volver", "Mi Buenos Aires querido", and "El día que me quieras". Le Pera wrote the screenplays for Gardel's series of Paramount Pictures films and composed the lyrics for the tangos featured in them, which became standards of the genre across the Spanish-speaking world.

He is credited with elevating the literary quality of tango lyrics while maintaining the popular character of the musical form. Le Pera died alongside Gardel in a plane crash in Medellín, Colombia, at the age of 35.