Astrud Gilberto death: bossa nova singer and voice of The Girl From Ipanema dies aged 83

Astrud Gilberto, one of the world's leading female bossa nova singers, best known for her 1964 recording of The Girl From Ipanema, has died at the age of 83.

One of Gilberto's collaborators Paul Ricci confirmed the sad news with a post on social media, which revealed he had been asked to do so by the musician's son, Marcelo. The announcement read: "I just got word from son Marcelo that we have lost Astrud Gilberto. He asked for this to be posted.

"She was an important part of ALL that is Brazilian music in the world and she changed many lives with her energy.RIP from ‘the chief’, as she called me. Thanks AG".

It has been confirmed that the singer died on Monday, 5 June. No cause of death has been disclosed.

Born as Astrud Evangelina Weinert in Salvador, Bahia, on 29 March 1940, Gilberto went on to enjoy a successful music career that saw her record 16 studio albums and two live records. But it was her version of Garota de Ipanema - originally composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes in 1962 - that catapulted her to international stardom, accruing more than five million record sales and boosted the profile of bossa nova music on a global scale.

Her version of the track - which was recorded in English under the title The Girl From Ipanema with American saxophonist Stan Getz and Brazilian guitarist João Gilberto - earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Vocal Performance by a female, while the song itself was awarded Song of the Year. She was also awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Latin Grammys in 2008.