Joao Gilberto, the Father of Bossa Nova passed away eariler today, in his beloved home town of Rio de Janeiro.

From the BBC: Influential Brazilian musician João Gilberto has died aged 88.

The singer and composer was known best as a pioneer of the bossa nova genre, which found international popularity in the 1960s.

Reports say Gilberto died at home in Rio de Janeiro after a period of illness. His son confirmed the news of his death in a Saturday Facebook post.

“His fight was noble, he tried to maintain dignity,” Marcelo Gilberto said.

Born in the north-east state of Bahia in 1931, Gilberto began singing aged 18.

His release of the record Chega de Saudade in the late 1950s was considered a game-changer for Brazilian music.

Gilberto’s style – mixing traditional and modern musical influences – inspired bossa nova, or new trend, music and many other artists after him.

In 1964, he famously collaborated with America saxophone player Stan Getz. Their album sold millions of copies and won international praise, including a US Grammy for Album of the year.

Read the complete story here.

More on Joao Gilberto from Connect Brazil:

A Musical Tribute to Joao Gilberto on The Sunday Brazilian Brunch

Tune in to The Sunday Brazilian Brunch for our salute to Joao Gilberto’s life and music, Only on our streaming station at www.connectbrazil.com

Join me tomorrow for three full hours beginning at 5 am and 9 am Central and then again at 2 pm and 8 pm from the player.

Joao Gilberto