Brazilian Astrud Gilberto, singer of “Girl from Ipanema”, dies

Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto, singer of the famous song “The Girl from Ipanema”, has died at the age of 83, her family announced on social media, on Tuesday morning.

Her granddaughter, Sofia Gilberto, wrote of the bossa nova: “I bring the sad news that my grandmother has become a star today and that she stands by my grandfather, João Gilberto.”

According to the G1 news website, Astrud Gilberto passed away at her home in Philadelphia, USA.

Born in 1940 in Salvador, northeastern Brazil, she was for several years the wife of João Gilberto, another icon of Brazilian music.

“Queen of bossa nova”, whose discography includes 19 albums, “Garuta de Ipanema”, composed by Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, translates the chorus in English in a version recorded in New York with saxophonist Stan Getz, titled “Girl form Ipanema”.

This led to her becoming the first Brazilian female singer to win a Grammy Award, with the number in 1964.

Away from the stage since 2002, she lived the last years of her life in the United States.