What happened to Astrud Gilberto?

Astrud Gilberto was reported dead by close sources, however, no cause of death was disclosed. She died on Monday, June 5, 2023.

She sang on two tracks in 1963 on the album Getz/Gilberto featuring Joao Gilberto, Stan Getz, and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Even though it was her debut single, she performed amazingly because she had been singing since childhood.

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.

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.

Astrud recorded songs in Portuguese, English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, and Japanese. She recorded numerous albums including The Shadow of Your Smile, Look to the Rainbow, A Certain Smile, a Certain Sadness (1966), Beach Samba, and more.