Beto Carrero

Who was Beto Carrero?

João Batista Sergio Murad was a Brazilian theme park owner and entertainer.

Carrero was born into a poor family of Lebanese immigrants in São José do Rio Preto and worked as a country musician, radio announcer and ad salesman before starting an advertising agency and, later, a theme park.

He owned what has been called the largest theme park in Latin America, Beto Carrero World in Penha, which he owned from its opening in 1991 until his death. He also appeared in several acting roles under his stage persona, a cowboy.

On January 30, 2008 he was admitted to Sírio Libanês Hospital, in São Paulo, with a cardiac problem and died two days later. The official cause of death was endocarditis. He is survived by three sons.

In June 2008, journalist Alex Solnik released a biography of Beto Carrero. It was titled Domador de Sonhos - A Vida Mágica de Beto Carrero.