Fams mourn João Gilberto at Rio de Janeiro funeral

RIO DE JANEIRO – Fans from around the world are honouring bossa nova pioneer João Gilberto, filing past his coffin at his funeral in Rio de Janeiro.

Gilberto’s body is being displayed in an open casket at the entry of Rio’s Municipal Theater. His wife Maria do Ceu stood alongside his body Monday while fans passed through to say their goodbyes.

Josef Fitz of German says Gilberto’s art “was exciting. It was a special kind of music, a new kind of music.”

The 88-year-old Gilberto died of natural causes in his home in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. He was one of the fathers of bossa nova music, which gained international popularity in the 1960s.