Who was Astrud Gilberto? ‘The Girl From Ipanema’ Hitmaker Dead at 83

Brazilian singer, Astrud Gilberto who was known for singing in the global hit song, The Girl from Ipanema, has been at age 83. She died on June 5, 2023, but no cause of death was given.

Astrud got her breakthrough in 1964 after the release of the single The Girl from Ipanema, which omitted the Portuguese lyrics sung by Joao Gilberto and established Astrud as a Bossa Nova Singer.

However, there was a heavy controversy surrounding the song. Astrud did not write the song and had not previously been rated as a key figure in the bossa nova movement, because she was not a professional at that time. The song was taken from Getz/Gilberto album, therefore, Getz had a saying in it.

Even though the song raked in over one million sales, some sources claim that Astrud was paid only a standard session fee of $120. According to Gene Lees, Getz specifically asked producer Creed Taylor to ensure Astrud gets nothing out of the global hit song.