Astrud Gilberto dies aged 83 as tributes pour in for Girl From Ipanema singer

The Independent. Astrud was best known for her iconic recording of The Girl From Ipanema. Alongside the famous track, she recorded 16 studio albums and two live records during her music career, which began in the Sixties.

Astrud's vocals became famous due to her popular version of "Garota de Ipanema", which was originally composed in 1962 by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes. READ MORE: Holly Willoughby's Schofield speech ripped apart by David BaddielLinkThe song was recorded in English under the title "The Girl from Ipanema" by American saxophonist Stan Getz and Brazilian guitarist João Gilberto on 18 March 1963. It was inspired by Jobim and de Moraes's lust for Heloísa Pinheiro, the teenage girl who used to walk past their local bar near Ipanema beach.

Astrud had offered to provide vocals on the English version of the song after watching her husband João working on it in the studio. A&R engineer Phil Ramone recalled the moment to JazzWax in 2010, saying: "Astrud was in the control room when Norm came in with the English lyrics. Producer Creed Taylor said he wanted to get the song done right away and looked around the room.

"Astrud volunteered, saying she could sing in English. Creed said, 'Great. ' Astrud wasn't a professional singer, but she was the only victim sitting there that night.

"The song went on to achieve global success, and sold over five million copies worldwide. The Girl from Ipanema also won a Grammy for Song of the Year, while Astrud received a nomination for Best Vocal Performance. Astrud's granddaughter Sofia led tributes to the singer, writing on Instagram: "My grandma Astrud Gilberto made this song for me, it's called 'Linda Sofia'.