Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto, whose soft and sultry version of "The Girl from Ipanema" turned it into a global hit in the 1960s has died at the age of 83, her family said.
Gilberto died on Monday, June 5 at her home in Philadelphia, her granddaughter Sofia Gilberto announced on social media. Sofia wrote in tribute: "Life is beautiful, as the song says, but I bring the sad news that my grandmother became a star today and is next to my grandfather Joao Gilberto."
Gilberto recorded 19 albums in her career becoming the first Brazilian to be nominated for and win a Grammy. The 1964 edited single of "The Girl from Ipanema" established her as a bossa nova singer and sold over one million copies.
She retired from the world of live music in 2001 and turned her talents to painting and her heart to animal-rights activism.
May you RIP Astred Gilberto.
