The Brazilian singer of the sensual Bossa Nova classic “The Girl From Ipanema” was 83 years old

Astrud Gilberto, who was just 22 years old when her beautiful, relaxed and sensual singing made the jazzy bossa nova “The Girl from Ipanema” a huge worldwide hit and one of the most famous melodies of the 1960s, died on Monday. She was 83 years old.

Her death was announced to the media by a family friend, musician Paul Ricci, who did not provide further details.

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Born on March 5, 1940 in Salvador, Bahia and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Gilberto was virtually unknown to the general public when she was recruited by producer Creed Taylor, saxophonist Stan Getz and her then-husband, guitarist Joao Gilberto, to provide vocals on two songs for Getz/GilbertoRecorded in 1963, the album had a huge impact on the popularization of bossa nova music, thanks in no small part to one of the songs that featured Astrud: “The Girl from Ipanema,” released as a single in 1964, sold over 5 million copies, reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, and won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

RELATED: João Gilberto dies: Brazilian Bossa Nova pioneer was 88

Astrud Gilberto was nominated for a Grammy this year in the categories “Best New Artist” and “Best Vocal Performance”.

Even people who don’t know the song title may find it jolted to memory by Gilberto’s opening vocals, a marvel of the kind of relaxed, provocative and confident vocals that influenced singers from Herb Alpert to Sade:

Big and brown and young and beautiful

The girl from Ipanema goes for a walk

And if she dies

Everyone she passes says: “Ah”

Although Gilberto toured with Getz and released albums in English and Portuguese throughout the 1960s, she gradually withdrew from the global music scene and public spotlight. She later revealed that she received no money for the song, which became a musical standard, and that the men involved in the recording never fully acknowledged her invaluable contribution to its success.

According to the Associated Press, Gilberto was married twice and had two sons. She performed live for many years and recorded a duet with George Michael: “Desafinado,” a song written by her first husband that appeared on Michael’s Greatest Hits album in 1998. Women Men.

She received a Latin Grammy for lifetime achievement in 2008.

Watch a 1964 performance of “The Girl From Ipanema” below:

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