João Gilberto

June 10, 1931 – July 6, 2019

Known as “the father of bossa nova” Gilberto was a pioneering Brazilian musician and composer. In scaling back the percussion of samba he discovered a whole new style. No cause of death for the 88-year-old has been revealed, though descendent João Marcelo hailed the “noble” struggle of his father, who had “tried to maintain dignity in the light of losing his independence”.