Who was Astrud Gilberto? Tributes pour in as The Girl from Ipanema singer dies aged 83

Well-known singer Astrud Gilberto passed away on June 5, 2023, at the age of 83. Gilberto's cause of death remains unknown. She was mostly known for her single, The Girl from Ipanema, which was released in May 1964 and reached the 5th spot on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Gilberto's death was announced by her collaborator Paul Ricci on Facebook. Ricci wrote that Astrud's son Marcelo revealed the news to him. He added that Gilberto was an important part of Brazilian music and she also changed the lives of several people around the world.

Musician Scott Reeder also expressed grief over Gilberto's death by posting a picture of the artist on Facebook. He wrote that when he was a member of Kyuss, Gilberto's voice worked like a "drug" and this helped them sleep on the tour bus. He continued:

Astrud Gilberto released 16 albums during her successful musical career

Born on March 29, 1940, Astrud Gilberto started her career by singing two songs from Stan Getz's album Getz/Gilberto in 1963. Her single, titled The Girl from Ipanema, was released the following year and received a positive response from listeners.

Astrud released her debut album, The Astrud Gilberto Album, in 1965, and it reached the 41st position on the US Billboard 200. She released her second album, The Shadow of Your Smile, the same year. This also trended on the Billboard chart.

She continued to release more albums like Look to the Rainbow, A Certain Smile, a Certain Sadness, Beach Samba, I Haven't Got Anything Better to Do, Now, Gilberto Golden Japanese Album, and more, and all of them received decent feedback. Her last album, titled Jungle, came out in 2002 and had 12 singles.

She released three EPs and she also recorded a single titled Let Yourself Go in October 1983 but it was never released. Gilberto also released some compilation albums like Canta in Italiano, Brazilian Mood, Verve Jazz Masters 9, Astrud for Lovers, Non-Stop Brazil, Gold, and more.

Astrud was known for her singles like The Shadow of Your Smile, Where Do I Begin, and If Not for You. She even appeared in two films - Get Yourself a College Girl and The Hanged Man.

Netizens pay tribute on Twitter

Gilberto is survived by her sons Joao Marcelo Gilberto and Gregory Lasorsa. She first tied the knot with musician Joao Gilberto in 1959 and they divorced the following year. She then married Nicholas Lasorsa which also ended in divorce.

About the author

Anupal is a pop culture writer at Sportskeeda with a degree in Political Science. He developed a keen interest in the lives of celebrities, films, TV shows, and box office collections since an early age. After accumulating significant experience as a content writer across varied fields at companies such as The Indian Wire, DigiStatement, and QuirkyByte Media, he eventually settled on writing about his favorite genre - pop culture.

Anupal believes in conducting in-depth research while writing about any topic and relies on varied sources to ensure he produces holistic articles. He also often glances through content that was published in the 80s and 90s to gain a better understanding of the subject he is covering.

Anupal admires Robert Downey Jr., who played one of his favorite Marvel superheroes, Iron Man. He is inspired by the actor's resilience and the determination in overcoming past struggles to building a successful Hollywood career and admires the way he articulates his thoughts while speaking in interviews.

If Anupal could travel back in time, he would love to experience James Cameron's 2009 film 'Avatar' in a theatre full of fans. When he's not busy working, he binges on the latest OTT titles across languages.

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