The Girl From Ipanema singer Astrud Gilberto has died at the age of 83.
Gilberto’s son Marcelo confirmed to The Independent that she passed away on June 5. The cause of her death was not disclosed.
Composer Antonio Carlos Jobim and Portuguese poet Vinicius de Moraes wrote The Girl From Ipanema in 1962.
It wasn’t until 1964 that the English lyrics, written by American Norman Gimbel, brought the song to international acclaim and made it one of the world’s most recorded songs.
Astrud Gilberto sang the English words on the 1963 album Getz/Gilberto as her first professional performance and recorded 16 studio albums over the course of her career.
The Girl From Ipanema singer Astrud Gilberto has died at the age of 83, her son confirmed on Tuesday
Astrud Gilberto sang the English words on the 1963 album Getz/Gilberto as her first professional performance and recorded 16 studio albums over the course of her career.
Born Astrud Evangelina Weinert in Salvador, Bahia, on March 29, 1940, Gilberto never intended to sing for a living, but came from a musical family.
Her vocals on The Girl from Ipanema came about by accident.
American saxophonist Stan Getz and Brazilian guitarist João Gilberto first recorded the English version of the song, inspired by Jobim and de Moraes’ lust for Heloísa Pinheiro – a native of Rio who walked daily past Brazil’s Veloso Bar.
Astrud offered to sing on the English version of the song after going to the studio to see her husband João perform.
A&R engineer Phil Ramone recalled of JazzWax in 2010, “Astrud was in the control room when Norm came in with the English lyrics. Producer Creed Taylor said he wanted the song done right away and looked around the room.”
‘Astrud volunteered and said she could sing in English. Creed said, “Great.” Astrud wasn’t a professional singer, but she was the only victim sitting there that night.’
The song sold over five million copies worldwide, as bossa nova music soon became known all over the world. The song won a Grammy for Song of the Year, while Gilberto earned a nomination for Best Vocal Performance.
Despite the accolades, Astrud’s work on The Girl from Ipanema only earned her $120 in session fees.
Born Astrud Evangelina Weinert in Salvador, Bahia, on March 29, 1940, Gilberto never intended to sing for a living, but came from a musical family
Her singing on The Girl from Ipanema happened by accident after she went to the studio to see her husband, Brazilian guitarist João Gilberto, working on the song.
Gilberto’s granddaughter Sofia, also a musician, paid tribute on Instagram, writing, “My grandma Astrud Gilberto made this song for me, it’s called ‘Linda Sofia.’ She even wanted me to be called Linda Sofia!’
She continued, “Life is beautiful, as the song says, but I am here to bring you the sad news that my grandmother has become a star today and is next to my grandfather João Gilberto.
“Astrud was the real girl who brought bossa nova from Ipanema to the world. She was a pioneer and the best. At the age of 22, she voiced the English version of ‘Girl from Ipanema’ and gained international fame.
“The song, a bossa nova anthem, became the second most played song in the world mainly thanks to her. I love and will forever love Astrud and she was the face and voice of bossa nova in most parts of the planet. Astrud will forever be in our hearts and now we must celebrate Astrud.’
Astrud and João welcomed their only child, son Marcelo, before divorcing in the mid-1960s. João died in 2019 at the age of 88.
She has another son from a second marriage, Gregory Lasorsa, and both of her sons have performed in their mother’s band over the years.
Astrud emigrated to the United States in 1963, shortly after gaining fame with The Girl.
Shortly after her move, her first solo album was released: The Astrud Gilberto Album in 1965. She recorded other solo compositions in the 1970s in Portuguese, English, Spanish, Italian, French, German and Japanese.
In 1964, Gilberto appeared in the films Get Yourself a College Girl and The Hanged Man.
Gilberto received the 1992 Latin Jazz USA Award for Lifetime Achievement and was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2002, shortly after announcing that she was taking “indefinite time off” from public performances.