title: João Lyra
text: # João Lyra
  
  João José Pereira de Lyra (17 June 1931 – 12 August 2021) was a Brazilian businessman and politician.
  
  ## Career
  
  Lyra was a Member of the Federal Senate from 1989 to 1991, and a Member of the Chamber of Deputies from 2003 to 2007, and from 2011 to 2015. His wealth was once estimated at $140 million, making him at one point Brazil's richest Member of Parliament.
  
  He was named in the 2016 Panama Papers leak.
  
  ## Death
  
  Lyra died from complications of pneumonia and bronchoaspiration in August 2021, following a battle with COVID-19.
  
  