‘Girl from Ipanema’ Singer Astrud Gilberto Dies at 83

Brazilian vocalist Astrud Gilberto poses for a photo in New York on Aug. 20, 1981. (AP)
Brazilian vocalist Astrud Gilberto poses for a photo in New York on Aug. 20, 1981. (AP)
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‘Girl from Ipanema’ Singer Astrud Gilberto Dies at 83

Brazilian vocalist Astrud Gilberto poses for a photo in New York on Aug. 20, 1981. (AP)
Brazilian vocalist Astrud Gilberto poses for a photo in New York on Aug. 20, 1981. (AP)

Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto, the voice of Bossa Nova whose version of "The Girl from Ipanema" was an international success in the late 1960s, has died at the age of 83, her family said.

Gilberto died on Monday at her home in Philadelphia, her granddaughter Sofia Gilberto said on social media.

"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," the granddaughter wrote.

Astrud was married to Brazilian musician Joao Gilberto, the pioneer composer and songwriter of Bossa Nova from the late 1950s, who died in 2019.

He collaborated with US jazz musician Stan Getz in 1963 on the album "Getz/Gilberto" that popularized the new Brazilian sound worldwide.

Joao Gilberto's then-wife Astrud performed the vocals in English, including the duet "The Girl from Ipanema" which became the album's major hit. "Getz/Gilberto" won three Grammy Awards including Album of the Year, the first time a jazz album received the accolade.

Her first solo album was "The Astrud Gilberto Album," released in 1965 and featuring Antonio Carlos Jobim.



Oscars Push Back Nominations Announcement amid California Wildfires

Finished mounted Oscar Statuettes are seen at the Polich Tallix foundry in Walden, New York, US, January 25, 2018. Picture taken January 25, 2018. (Reuters)
Finished mounted Oscar Statuettes are seen at the Polich Tallix foundry in Walden, New York, US, January 25, 2018. Picture taken January 25, 2018. (Reuters)
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Oscars Push Back Nominations Announcement amid California Wildfires

Finished mounted Oscar Statuettes are seen at the Polich Tallix foundry in Walden, New York, US, January 25, 2018. Picture taken January 25, 2018. (Reuters)
Finished mounted Oscar Statuettes are seen at the Polich Tallix foundry in Walden, New York, US, January 25, 2018. Picture taken January 25, 2018. (Reuters)

The Oscar nominations are being pushed back almost a week from their original date amid the ongoing California wildfires. Nominations will now be announced on Jan. 23, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Monday.

“We are all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many in our community,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a joint statement. “The Academy has always been a unifying force within the film industry, and we are committed to standing together in the face of hardship.”

With fires still active in the Los Angeles area, the film academy also extended the nominations voting period for its members through Friday. Originally, nominations were to be announced that morning.

The organization that puts on the Oscars has also made the decision to cancel its annual nominees luncheon, an untelevised event best known for the “class photos” it produces annually. The Scientific and Technical Awards, previously set for Feb. 18, will be rescheduled later.

The 97th Oscars will still happen on March 2, at the Dolby Theatre, with a live television broadcast on ABC beginning at 7 p.m. ET and a live stream on Hulu.

Oscar nominations were postponed in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ceremony itself was also delayed, which had happened several times before: The ceremony was pushed back a week because of disastrous flooding in Los Angeles in 1938.

In 1968, it was delayed two days following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And in 1981, it was put off for 24 hours after President Ronald Reagan was shot in Washington D.C.

The 1981 decision was made four hours before the broadcast was scheduled to begin.