SEPULTURA's ANDREAS KISSER says his wife's death contributed to the band's decision to go on a farewell tour

In a new interview with France's Loud TV: SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisserhis wife Patricia Perissinoto Kisser He died in July 2022 after a battle with colon cancer and was asked if the experience of losing his long-term partner hastened his decision SEPULTURA go on a farewell tour. He replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Yes, of couse. In any case. The death of Patriciamy late wife, two and a half years ago, [due to] Cancer. The process was very painful and of course very difficult, as we can imagine, but it was an open experience of getting to know myself, my family and having new opportunities to talk about life due to dying.

“Brazil is one of the worst places to die,” he continued. “Many people are forgotten by society and have the same problems with cancer, very serious illnesses and so on. And I started this movement to inspire and encourage people in Brazil to talk about dying, about euthanasia, about suicide in many ways. Euthanasia, especially about palliative care, because in Brazil we still grow up that way because my wife had the palliative care and stuff. We had the privilege to give that because of health insurance and all that stuff. But most people in Brazil don't have that. So we started this movement, this campaign, a festival [Patfest]also a music festival that we have been holding for two years now. I have just carried out the third edition to raise funds for the people who provide palliative care and care in the favelas [impoverished neighborhoods in Brazil] in Rio, for the very poor people who are forgotten by society etc., and at the same time encourages people to talk about dying. I have learned that death is my greatest teacher. I learn so much about life because I respect finiteness. We can't control that. We're all going to die. You will die. The camera will die. [Laughs] Something electronic [device will eventually stop working]. So it is what it is. We can't choose. What we can choose is to live in the moment. The intensity of the present is much more intense when one respects finiteness.

“If you go to the movies and there’s no ending, there’s no meaning, there’s no message.” Andrew explained. “A book, anything you do in your life, a job, this interview, we have to finish it. The way we think.” [in] Phases – beginning, cause and effect; Beginning, middle and end. And that's life. Let's respect that. Let's not try to live forever, AI, robots and all that stuff. Let us be human and respect finiteness, respect dying.”

Andrew He further said that grief is a long and complex process that has its own timetable and that we must continue to live while we grieve.

“It was very amazing for me, the experience I had with my family, my wife and… SEPULTURA Now,” he said. “It is something very respectful that we show ourselves, the respect for the present and the life that we have.” Of course it is a very difficult situation, very painful, a lot of sadness and grief, the grief, but at the same time everything is surrounded by beauty. We should Talk about dying with our family, about final wishes, how we will divide the money for the people who stay, about the documents you have to sign.

“People have this idea when you talk about dying that bad things are going to happen and stuff. It's exactly the opposite. Peace,” he continued. “And Patriciamy wife, she always talked about dying. Like completely normal. She would say, “When I die, please don't forget my pillow.” Don't forget my blanket. And put on my pajamas and socks because I don't want to be cold. And we all laughed about it. But when she died, we did.

“I cannot describe the feeling of fulfilling a wish of a loved one in words. Simple things, simple things. And it brings you peace. It brings understanding. It brings with it a grateful feeling for life that she has been a part of our lives for so many years [with her]and many of the Andreas I used to be died with her. But I discover something else that comes out of it. It's a very – I don't know how to describe it – an amazing experience. It is what it is. That's life. Let us live while we live. [Living] takes care of ourselves until the last minute. That's why palliative care comes into play [play].”

Kisser emphasized the importance of palliative care to ensure that seriously ill patients receive the right level of care at the right time so that they can make the most of each day.

“I was shocked to hear from the doctors in Brazil when everything happened to my wife that only a small percentage of hospitals in Brazil have a palliative care team,” he said. “I said, ‘What the fuck, man? How you do that? You improvise or you just let it happen [your patients] die or just [give them] Morphine?'

“Palliative care is everything” Andrew Continuation. “Medicine in general should be palliative and take care of ourselves. We all live with illnesses in our lives and we have to deal with them. COVID for example. We deal with it. We learn to deal with it.” There is no cure for it, but we learn to deal with it. And that is the kind of thinking that we need to change, especially in Brazil, and talk about dying, as I said, about euthanasia, assisted suicide and so many other things that we are most interested in that Brazilians don't even know that this possibility exists, while our neighbors in Ecuador, in Chile or Argentina are much more advanced in these matters. The same applies to the USA, the same applies to Europe, like Switzerland or Belgium. In various places I don't know about France, but I believe there is a discussion that was or is still going on… Even in Portugal before recently.

“That’s why we need to encourage people in Brazil to talk about it, to at least have a discussion, so that we can move forward as a country and improve our dying process.” Kisser added. “We can really improve a lot. We can do a lot of work on this process and improve it. But he is growing. In the last three years after the festival, I have made my experiences public and talked about my wife and everything that happened, through interviews and everything. “During the festival and so on, and we feel that things are getting better. That's why we're very happy that we were able to turn our grief as family and friends into something so vivid, so positive and so inspired, at least for our family and me. And it’s growing, so let’s see.”

When asked if he thinks he will spend more time in the future speaking about the importance of palliative care and organizing events to raise awareness and provide funds to support the development of hospice and palliative care, Andreas said : “I hope so. I'll have more time.” , definitely, to put this on without SEPULTURAwithout all the touring. Of course I will continue to work with music, different bands or whatever, different situations, soundtracks or who knows. I still study a lot of music, especially acoustic guitar. I have so many different ideas. But I don't want to make any decisions now. I want to enjoy what I'm doing today and therefore live in the present. [Laughs] But just [be] aware of the possibilities, [so] When it comes time to make a decision, I'm a little more prepared to know what to do. But it's great that we're there [farewell] Go on tour now and enjoy the moment. It's fantastic.

Patricia had just turned 52 the day before her death.

Andrew and the couple's three children, Julia, Yohan And Enzoannounced Patricia's death in a social media post. They wrote: “It is with deep sadness that we have to share this.” Patricia Perissinoto Kisser passed away this morning. She will remain in our memories forever.

Andrew And Patricia have been together for 32 years since they first met in 1990. They married in 1994.

In June 2022, Andrew left SEPULTURADue to what was described at the time as a “family emergency,” he was forced to cancel his European tour. He was temporarily replaced on the road by Jean Patton another heavy metal band from São Paulo, Brazil PROJECT46.

SEPULTURAThe current lineup includes KisserSinger Derrick GreenBassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. and drummer Greyson Nekrutman.

SEPULTURA began his farewell tour on March 1, 2024 at the Arena Hall in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The sold-out show marked the band's debut performance Nekrutmanwho previously played with Suicidal tendencies.